A review by littlemascara
The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah

3.0

I liked the style, alternating between Sally's first person perspective, the diary, and the third-person narration from the police. I found the first two-thirds pretty compelling, trying to figure out exactly what happened with Geraldine and her daughter, her daughter's friend, and what's happening with Sally. I also liked reading an honest summation of modern motherhood - trying to have it all, as it's just an expectation for educated, middle-class moms these days, and feeling guilt for not being able to achieve the impossible.

But the ending, well, I had a lot of problems with that.

First, I never felt like they properly explained why Hey's psychotic break (because that's obviously what happened) resulted in an obsession with impregnating Sally, and I felt like the end of Sally's part of the story was abrupt and I felt like it didn't have resolution - yes, she realized she loved her family, but wouldn't she have something to say about her ordeal beyond "gee, I'm glad Nick didn't find out I slept with a psychopath!"

For that matter, I felt the end of the whole thing was abrupt. This was the first of Hannah's books that I've read, and having now read Hurting Distance, I get the Waterhouse-Zailer relationship better, but for such an intense book, I was disappointed to have a sitcommy joke to end it.

But I liked the writing, the plot and the storytelling. I'll keep reading (I loved Hurting Distance), but I just wish the final third had been as strong as what preceded it.