Mother Island

by Bethan Roberts

A taut, powerful novel about a nanny who abducts the young child she looks after

How does it feel to come home from work one evening and find your two-year-old son gone? How does it feel to steal another woman's child? To take a boy from his mother, and try to make him yours, make things right? This compelling, tense psychological drama is the story of two women, Nula and Maggie, joined by old family history and love for the same little boy. Perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell, Rose Tremain, Ian McEwan, and Rachel Cusk.

Genres: Fiction, Family

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2014

About the author

Bethan Roberts was born in Abingdon. Her first novel 'The Pools' was published in 2007 and won a Jerwood/Arvon Young Writers’ Award. Her second novel 'The Good Plain Cook', published in 2008, was serialized on BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and was chosen as one of Time Out’s books of the year. 'My Policeman' was published by Chatto and Windus in February 2012 and was selected as that year's City Read for Brighton. Her latest novel, 'Mother Island', is longlisted for the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. She also writes short stories (in 2006 she was awarded the Olive Cook short story prize by the Society of Authors) and drama for BBC Radio 4. Bethan has worked as a television documentary researcher, writer and assistant producer, and has taught Creative Writing at Chichester University and Goldsmiths College, London. She lives in Brighton with her family.

Reviews

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother's love is the strongest energy known to man.

Bethan Roberts, an English author, has penned an incredibly intriguing tale about the power of a mother's love, in her book, Mother Island. This is a story that evokes the power, capacity and the strength of a mother's love for her own flesh and blood. A young woman's irrevocable love and obsession for her brother turns her into a psychologically traumatized woman, who then embarks on a darker path in order to restore her love for her brother as well as her life all those years ago, which fell apart!

Thanks to the author, Bethan Roberts and her publisher from Random House UK, for providing me with a copy of her book, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Maggie, a. k. a, Gee-Gee, is in her early thirties, working her time as a full-time nanny, an Oxford drop-out, who is still in the process to find her soul. Nula, the glamorous cousin to Maggie, is a mother of a 2year old son, Samuel, who works in the media industry. These two characters come across each other's paths long back when they were in their teens. Back then, Maggie used to live with her parents and her 2yers older brother, Joe, in a secluded island in Wales, named, Anglesey. When Nula came to stay with her family, Maggie's innocent and happy life fell apart and her dreams got shattered. When she grew up, she never have been able to let go of her past since she was constantly trying to make right of her past mistakes. Thus Samuel, a little, chubby, cute and sweet 2year old boy, has to face the wrath of Maggie's past grievances, thus uprooting him from his home and detaching him from his mother and taking him into her un-forgiven past.

I was so surprised to see how Nula understood where Maggie has taken her son; she reacts almost within a fleet second, thus jumping into a journey with the hope of finding her son. I loved author's approach of trying to depict the positive-ness of both Nula and Maggie's sides. Most of the time, I found myself hating Nula and then again falling for her and most of the times, hating Maggie for her deeds. Well, I don't think so that the author has in any way tried to depict Maggie as a troubled child, moreover, her heart is as pure as driven snow. But losing her parents, then her brother's attention, and finally losing her role-model's heart's desire, made her all very lonely, quiet and solitary. Her troubled past ultimately became her enemy thus turning her into a criminal. Whereas, Nula, the smart, clever and very sly and chic and posh girl has been depicted as a girl, who can trick people into her lair very easily, and some way she was too responsible for Maggie's path to destruction. In the beginning while reading the book, I felt confused most of the times when the author switched from present scene to the flashback of the characters. Thus a bit more attention is expected from the reader's side, while reading the book. The characters were all very flawed but are sure to going to create an impression on your heart. The flow of the narration was quite smooth and somehow quite captivating. Most of the times, I found myself, along with Maggie, standing by the bay of Anglesey, that's how strikingly, the author has crafted her whole tale, that it keeps you gripped to its very core of the book.

How far can you push a mother's heart for her own son? And how you must let go of your slivered past, in order to forgive and live in the present and appreciate life? Read this tale of a mother's love for her son and of a calm and composed woman's journey to make things right.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks go to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book via Net Galley.

I have heard of Bethan Roberts as an author, but never picked up one of her books before. After reading this, things are going to change, I need to read more from this author.

This was an excellent read.

I have to say, this book got me a little bit confused at the beginning until I realized not only did the book not have chapters, it was flashbacks from when Maggie and Nula were teenagers.

Maggie came to work for Nula as a child minder/nanny as Nula worked full time and so too her husband. Things couldn't have been more perfect right? with having a qualified person to look after your child. Wrong!

One day, Maggie takes off with just a holdall and the child.

That is when the flashbacks come into place, but they soon all tie up, you get to realize things within these flashbacks as to things were not perfect.

It was an excellent read which kept my attention throughout and needing more as I read. I couldn't read this fast enough.

Brilliant read, brilliant thriller. Love it

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt for Maggie. Did not warm to Nula at all. Was rooting for a different ending.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bethan Roberts is an author who has really piqued my interest of late, largely because of Simon from Savidge Reads raving about her work.  I chose Mother Island as my first book to read by her at random; it came up first when I searched my local library catalogue, and sounded like the kind of novel which I would enjoy.  Mother Island is Roberts' fourth novel, and it was first published in 2014.

Told through the eyes of two protagonists, Mother Island explores the disappearance of a two-year-old boy named Samuel, who is taken to a secluded part of Anglesey by his nanny.  Nula Shaw, his mother, and Maggie, Sam's nanny and Nula's cousin, are 'joined by old family history and love for the same little boy.'

Mother Island begins in Oxford, where Nula and her husband live.  Maggie originally relocated to the area for University, but for various reasons, decided not to finish her degree, and has been working as a nanny ever since.  The cousins met again after a long period of estrangement; the reasons for this are slowly revealed as the novel progresses.  We first meet Maggie in the novel's prologue, on the night before she takes Sam.  The first chapter then opens on the fateful 'hot morning in late June', when Maggie arrives at the Shaws' house as usual to care for Sam whilst his parents work, and decides, after much deliberation, to snatch him: 'Once Nula has gone, Maggie does not rush.  Her heart does not speed up and her breathing remains steady.  She nows that this is the right thing to do.'  Maggie goes on to reflect: 'That is the trouble with luxury, such as Samuel's mother has.  It can make you feel safe when really you are not.'

The narrative then shifts back in time to reveal the relationships of both Nula and Sam, and Nula and Maggie.  The family dynamics portrayed are unusual, and quite fascinating.  Roberts explores Nula's experiences of motherhood in some detail, recognising that it is often a difficult series of multilayered processes.  Early on, Roberts writes: 'When Nula and Samuel were alone together during those first few weeks, this is what she saw: fists and feet, curled, cringing in the open coldness of the air.  Startled eyes, looking towards any chink of light, any moving thing.  Open mouth, pink and angry, always searching for her breast.  When she held him he would swim towards it, rubbing his face into her shoulder, armpit, smelling his way to her milk.  And she experienced something disturbing.  Her mind became locked - almost paralysed - in such a way that she thought she now understood what women meant when they said their brains had "gone to mush" following childbirth.  Prior to having Samuel she'd thought this "mush" must mean a kind of bliss, a swapping of feverish anxieties for the cuddly mess of the mother's brain.  But this was not what happened.'  Further introspective snapshots detail further struggles which Nula had in reconciling her past, free self, with suddenly having someone entirely dependent upon her.

I found Mother Island to be rather atmospheric, with darkness bubbling in many of the descriptions.  When Maggie leaves, for instance, Roberts writes: 'As she drives, she thinks about their destination.  The place they are heading for is across the water, which runs fast in all directions.  This makes it difficult to swim, unless you know the times and tides and where the sandbanks are.  You have to be sure of all this in order to get in the water. If you're not, God help you.'  One of the real strengths of the novel for me was the way in which Roberts demonstrates volatility, both with regard to her troubled female protagonists, and when it comes to writing about the place to which Sam is taken.

The backstories which she presents help the characters to feel more realistic, and add another whole dimension of interest.  Although his backstory is largely absent given his young age, this is particularly true of Sam; Roberts captures the baby, and his moods and movements, so well.  There is a real strength in the novel too with regard to how Roberts presents emotions, and the speed at which they can change.  When the police have interviewed Nula and her husband about Sam's disappearance, she writes of Nula: 'And she goes upstairs, knowing none of them will follow her.  None of them will want to face the monster that is a mother whose child has disappeared.'

Whilst I did not find myself completely gripped initially when reading Mother Island, I found it caught my interest entirely after a while, and I was soon invested in the story. I found Roberts' prose style really easy to read; her narrative is well written without being overcomplicated, and she is empathetic throughout whilst still scrutinising her protagonists.  She deals with some difficult topics with deftness here, and has created a well-paced and thoroughly satisfying novel.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie wird heute das Kind holen. Bei diesem harmlos klingenden Satz stellten sich mir die Haare auf den Unterarmen auf; denn Maggie wird den zweijährigen Samuel entführen, dessen Kindermädchen sie ist. Es hätte alles perfekt sein können. Samuels Mutter kann wieder ganztags arbeiten, seit Maggie sich um Samuel kümmert. Maggie hat bereits Erfahrung in mehreren Familien gesammelt. Sie ist äußerst kompetent und mehr als ein einfaches Kindermädchen. Doch wie bei jedem anderen Elternpaar bisher auch, für das Maggie arbeitete, kriselt es nach der Geburt des ersten Kindes in der Beziehung von Samuels Eltern. Greg spricht nicht mit Nula, sondern erkundigt sich auf sonderbare Art bei Maggie, wie es seiner Frau geht. Trotz der Entlastung durch Maggie wirkt Nula überfordert, fast desinteressiert an ihrem Sohn. Maggie wird zum Prellbock für unausgesprochene Konflikte des Ehepaars Shaw. Ihre Beziehung zu Samuel ist beinahe zu innig, ihre Fürsorge zu perfekt, so dass seine Mutter sich ausgegrenzt fühlt. Aber auch auf die Beziehung zwischen Vater und Sohn reagiert Nula eifersüchtig. Eine fatale Rivalität zwischen den beiden Frauen schaukelt sich hoch, wer die bessere Mutter für Samuel ist. Die Wurzeln ihres Machtkampfs liegen weit zurück. Ein langer Rückblick erzählt von jenem denkwürdigen Sommer auf der Insel Mon in Anglesey, in dem Nulas Vater sich für seine Nichte Maggie interessierte und Nula mit Maggies Bruder Joe zusammen war. Nun ist Maggie mit Samuel auf dem Weg auf die Insel ihrer Kindheit. Ein verstörender Unterton hat sich bis zu diesem Stand der Ereignisse aufgebaut, der Böses befürchten lässt. Maggie ist sich vermutlich selbst noch nicht klar, was sie auf der Insel sucht und was sie von Joe will, zu dem der Kontakt seit damals abgebrochen ist. Gefährlich nur, dass Maggie keinen Plan hat, wie es mit ihr und Samuel weitergehen soll.

Fazit
Bethan Roberts ist eine Meisterin verstörender Untertöne. Die - klassische - Rivalität zweier Frauen um ein Kind zeigt sie im modernen Umfeld einer Karrierefrau und ihrer Angestellten. Maggie kann schwer damit umgehen, dass sie nur eine Angestellte ist und konnte schon früher nur schwer den Abschied verkraften, wenn die von ihr betreuten Kinder in den Kindergarten kamen und ihr Vertrag damit endete. Doch die Ursache der Eskalation liegt tiefer, als der bloße Abschied von einem niedlichen Kind vermuten lässt. Raffiniert formuliert und fesselnd wie ein Psychothriller liest sich dieser Roman, wenn auch die Ursache des Dramas vorhersehbar ist und die Ursachenforschung damit reichlich lang ausfällt. Dennoch ein feinfühlig beobachtetes Buch über Mutterschaft und das Nicht-Mutter-Sein.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb for this book reads “A taught, powerful novel about a nanny who abducts the young child she looks after.” Maggie is nanny to Samuel, the son of her cousin Nula and her husband Greg and this story is about the history between Maggie and Nula, and what finally spurs her on to take such drastic measures. Told in present time, leading up to and after the abduction, the story is interspersed with flashbacks to a long summer the cousins spent together when they were teenagers. What happens during that summer will have a lasting impact on Maggie, she won’t be able to put it behind her and it will affect her whole future.

I really liked the character of Maggie, I felt I got to know her really well throughout the book although I cannot quite say the same about Nula – I felt she still remained quite a mystery to me in a lot of ways. That is probably not her fault though, as although the story is told from both perspectives, Maggie’s side is given more prominence.

It is a very well paced book, the plot of which is more complex than the blurb would suggest, and it really kept me interested, despite knowing from the start that Samuel was going to be abducted by Maggie. There are secrets about that long ago summer that are not revealed until very near the end, which I sort of guessed at, but had to know if I was right.

Well worth a read. Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Colette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt that this book was very well written but the storyline and characters were a bit depressing :(

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Bethan Roberts writes. She has a great eye for detail and her descriptions of both setting and character are wonderful. I wasn't sure about this novel to begin with. It started off very much like those domestic psychological thrillers that are so fashionable and it almost put me off. However, as soon as I started to read the scenes set in the early 90s in Anglesey when the protagonists were teenagers, I was hooked. I loved the Bohemian life style the characters led back then and was desperate to know how the family secrets were unlocked. The ending was satisfying and perfect for the story, which isn't something I can often say about a novel! This is the fourth novel of Bethan Roberts' I've read and I'm now eager to find more.

[Emmalene Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I found the character’s experience of motherhood and childcare very fascinating, believable and relatable. Some might say the story is somewhat dark, but I’d didn’t find it overly heavy. The whole premise of the kidnaping obviously made for a suspenseful and exciting read. Highly recommend.

[Lina Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spannender Anfang, auch das Ende ist gut, aber die Mitte leider sehr schwach.

[Yassemin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't for me, I found it really boring to be honest

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, a quick read, which kept me engaged, but it was a bit silly.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loner Maggie has been earning a living as a Nanny since dropping out of University. She's now working for her cousin Nula in Oxford, arriving at her house every morning to look after two year old Samuel while both his parents go out to work full time. One day Maggie takes Samuel, grabbing just a few items of his clothing along with his change bag before heading to Anglesey where she lived as a teenager.

The book doesn't have chapters but is split into sections which move between the present day and the past, when Nula was staying with Maggie's family during the summer holidays. We learn about Maggie's brother Joe, parents Fiona and Alan, and her Uncle Ralph (Nula's Dad) as well as obviously Maggie and Nula themselves.

As with all the author's previous books I found this to be a well written, compelling read that I got through quickly. I was desperate to find out the reasons behind Maggie abducting her young nephew and clues to this are hinted at throughout the story which kept my interest from beginning to end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been spellbound by this book. It's upsetting, in a good way. I love the alternative views of motherhood that weave through Maggie's and Nula's stories. This look at motherhood bears a relation to Doris Lessing's The Fifth Child and Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, but it's a step on that brings in humanity and understanding with the clever refraction of the two protoganists. Myths of motherhood, the pressures, expectations, desires are picked apart - and exploded, too - with a light touch and subtlety that I'd like to say is a speciality of this author

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first few pages of this book I was hooked. From the outset you know that Maggie, the nanny, will steal her cousin Nula’s two year old son, but then the book sways between the present and the story of how this came to be. The girls have a shared past & it’s shown how this influences the present. What is never in doubt is that both women love Samuel. Maggie’s story predominates and despite her actions it is hard not to sympathise with her and hope for a happy ending. Without giving too much away, I was at first disappointed with the ending, but on reflection, it was believable and realistic rather than a fairytale happy ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, thank you to Netgalley & Random House for the opportunity to read & review it.

[Girl with her Head in a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a really difficult story to engage with but it stuck in my mind afterwards. It had an intriguing premise, the idea of the child snatched and the different loves of the mother and the nanny. The tangled roots of family history are hinted at from the beginning and only gradually unwoven and I liked that this was no simple 'nanny trumps mother' story (there are far too many of those and as someone who was childminded, I still knew who my mother was). The ending was slightly unsatisfying though and I felt the lack of resolution - neither Nula nor Maggie quite found a happy ending.

[David Seligman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book along with her other 3 'The Good Plain Cook', 'The Pools', 'My Policeman'. All written and published over the last 5 or 6 years, they have received scant attention from critics and readers. She is avery forceful writer and her novels deal with various elements of British life
such as a baby snatch, a gay policeman in the closet, class, the dryness and emotionless characteristics of family life. They are funny, suspenseful moving and the characters are perfect evocations of their time and place

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I might have rated this a 3 had I rated it just as I finished it. I found it hard to settle into. Not really a page turner the way it jumped around. I didn't really care for any of the people; I didn't dislike them, I just didn't really care.
But - it's several days later and I keep thinking about this book and those people. So many layers and meanings - I had to bump it to 4. I'd recommend it.

[Hannah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click here to read my full review, on my book blog.