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We Know You Know
The gripping new psychological suspense novel from the bestselling author of breakout hit HE SAID/SHE SAID
This novel was previously published as Stone Mothers in hardback.
Gripping, terrifying and moving back through time to reveal twists you'll never see coming, We Know You Know delivers shocks and suspense from a master of thriller writing.
'I heard the swish of falling paper. I grazed my knuckles retrieving a beige folder, its grubby white ribbon loose. Looping doctor's handwriting. Addresses. Dates. Names. Photographs! I had found the patients whose notes would bring the past back to life.'
A lifetime ago, a patient escaped Nazareth mental asylum. They covered their tracks carefully. Or so they thought.
Thirty years ago, Marianne Smy committed a crime then fled from her home to leave the past behind. Or so she thought.
Now, Marianne has been forced to return. Nazareth asylum has been converted to luxury flats, but its terrible hold on her is still strong. A successful academic, a loving mother and a loyal wife, she fears her secret being revealed and her world shattering.
She is right to be scared.
This novel was previously published as Stone Mothers in hardback.
Gripping, terrifying and moving back through time to reveal twists you'll never see coming, We Know You Know delivers shocks and suspense from a master of thriller writing.
'I heard the swish of falling paper. I grazed my knuckles retrieving a beige folder, its grubby white ribbon loose. Looping doctor's handwriting. Addresses. Dates. Names. Photographs! I had found the patients whose notes would bring the past back to life.'
A lifetime ago, a patient escaped Nazareth mental asylum. They covered their tracks carefully. Or so they thought.
Thirty years ago, Marianne Smy committed a crime then fled from her home to leave the past behind. Or so she thought.
Now, Marianne has been forced to return. Nazareth asylum has been converted to luxury flats, but its terrible hold on her is still strong. A successful academic, a loving mother and a loyal wife, she fears her secret being revealed and her world shattering.
She is right to be scared.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2019
564 people are currently reading
10323 people want to read
About the author
Erin Kelly
53 books1,608 followersErin Kelly was born in London in 1976 and grew up in Essex. She read English at Warwick University and has been working as a journalist since 1998.
She has written for newspapers including the The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Express and magazines including Red, Psychologies, Marie Claire, Elle and Cosmopolitan.
She has written for newspapers including the The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Express and magazines including Red, Psychologies, Marie Claire, Elle and Cosmopolitan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 825 reviews
April 20, 2019
3.5 stars
“Sodomites. Pederasts. Deviants. Reproductive Control. Behavioral Correction.” All treatable at The East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum established 1868.
“You’re actually lucky to be ill in this day and age.”
2018: Marianne is horrified when her husband gifts her with a new home he purchased at Park Royal Manor. The Manor stands on the grounds of a former mental institution. It is also the place that holds Marianne’s deepest and darkest secrets from her past.
1988: Marianne and her boyfriend, bad boy Jesse, commit a crime that will haunt them for the remainder of their lives.
1958: Helen Morris commits a crime in the eyes of society and is sentenced to be treated at The East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Told through the eyes of Marianne, Helen, and Honor, Stone Mothers offers an interesting take on the history of the Victorian mental asylum.
The beginning of the novel moves at a very slow pace but gradually builds. I was ready to give up, but then at the 30% mark things finally started to get interesting with the transition to 1988 and Marianne’s past.
In addition to different POV's, Stone Mothers is also split into different timelines. I loved the narrative structure and change in timelines. Helen’s character and the story were the most fascinating! I would have liked to spend more time with her character. At the same time, I could have done without Honor’s take on events.
This is a slow, but fascinating read about Victorian mental hospitals. Helen’s chapter is riveting and serves as an interesting commentary on how mental health was regarded and treated in the past. However, as a whole, I was confused on what this book was trying to be: thriller, social commentary, an ode to motherhood and female friendship? In the end, the message got muddled and the plot fizzled out.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“Sodomites. Pederasts. Deviants. Reproductive Control. Behavioral Correction.” All treatable at The East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum established 1868.
“You’re actually lucky to be ill in this day and age.”
2018: Marianne is horrified when her husband gifts her with a new home he purchased at Park Royal Manor. The Manor stands on the grounds of a former mental institution. It is also the place that holds Marianne’s deepest and darkest secrets from her past.
1988: Marianne and her boyfriend, bad boy Jesse, commit a crime that will haunt them for the remainder of their lives.
1958: Helen Morris commits a crime in the eyes of society and is sentenced to be treated at The East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Told through the eyes of Marianne, Helen, and Honor, Stone Mothers offers an interesting take on the history of the Victorian mental asylum.
The beginning of the novel moves at a very slow pace but gradually builds. I was ready to give up, but then at the 30% mark things finally started to get interesting with the transition to 1988 and Marianne’s past.
In addition to different POV's, Stone Mothers is also split into different timelines. I loved the narrative structure and change in timelines. Helen’s character and the story were the most fascinating! I would have liked to spend more time with her character. At the same time, I could have done without Honor’s take on events.
This is a slow, but fascinating read about Victorian mental hospitals. Helen’s chapter is riveting and serves as an interesting commentary on how mental health was regarded and treated in the past. However, as a whole, I was confused on what this book was trying to be: thriller, social commentary, an ode to motherhood and female friendship? In the end, the message got muddled and the plot fizzled out.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 8, 2019
The story is told from the viewpoint of Marianne in the present and then when she was seventeen, from the viewpoint of Helen from the time she was a teenager until her eighties, and from the viewpoint of Honor, Marianne's daughter, in the present. During the first section of the book, I was having a hard time getting into the book but once we got to Marianne's younger years, getting more background to the story made it more interesting, and then by the time we got to Helen's viewpoint, I was hooked. Helen's story is a sad one but I had trouble deciding if her cold parents led to Helen's inability to connect with people or if she would have been that way anyway. Whatever the case, what happened to Helen when she was young, was the catalyst for the things that happen later in the book.
A lot of the story takes place in and on the grounds of an old asylum, while it was still in use as an asylum, while it was a decrepit and dangerous mess of rubble, and lastly rebuilt as luxury apartments and cottages. A young Marianne and her young boyfriend Jesse, blackmail politician Helen and this leads to the three being tied to each other for decades to come. So many lies tie them together and each are haunted by what happened in the past and the secrets that they try to keep under wraps. The character of Helen intrigued me the most but for all she had in her life and all she accomplished, the fact that she could not connect with other people meant she had nothing at all.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
A lot of the story takes place in and on the grounds of an old asylum, while it was still in use as an asylum, while it was a decrepit and dangerous mess of rubble, and lastly rebuilt as luxury apartments and cottages. A young Marianne and her young boyfriend Jesse, blackmail politician Helen and this leads to the three being tied to each other for decades to come. So many lies tie them together and each are haunted by what happened in the past and the secrets that they try to keep under wraps. The character of Helen intrigued me the most but for all she had in her life and all she accomplished, the fact that she could not connect with other people meant she had nothing at all.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
March 24, 2019
3.5*
Marianne’s husband wants to give a gift he’s certain she will love. A second home in the small town she grew up in! Surprise! What a loving gesture. Unfortunately, this is the place Marianne never wanted to step foot in again. A place where she and those around her have deeply-hidden secrets that if found out could destroy lives.
This is a slower paced novel told from different perspectives through different timelines. For me, Helen's story was the most provocative and compelling! I would have loved for her to have remained the main focus from start to finish.
I have to admit, in the beginning I had trouble following along. But as the timelines shifted, the story-line unraveled, I was pleasantly drawn into lives of the characters, anxious to see how it all would come together.
This is the third book I’ve read from Erin Kelly, I felt it read more slowly than her previous releases but still found it an entertaining read that I would recommend!
A buddy read with Susanne!🌸
Thank you to Allison Ziegler at Minotaur Books and Erin Kelly for an ARC to read and review.
Marianne’s husband wants to give a gift he’s certain she will love. A second home in the small town she grew up in! Surprise! What a loving gesture. Unfortunately, this is the place Marianne never wanted to step foot in again. A place where she and those around her have deeply-hidden secrets that if found out could destroy lives.
This is a slower paced novel told from different perspectives through different timelines. For me, Helen's story was the most provocative and compelling! I would have loved for her to have remained the main focus from start to finish.
I have to admit, in the beginning I had trouble following along. But as the timelines shifted, the story-line unraveled, I was pleasantly drawn into lives of the characters, anxious to see how it all would come together.
This is the third book I’ve read from Erin Kelly, I felt it read more slowly than her previous releases but still found it an entertaining read that I would recommend!
A buddy read with Susanne!🌸
Thank you to Allison Ziegler at Minotaur Books and Erin Kelly for an ARC to read and review.
June 26, 2019
enthralling, atmospheric, chilling, unsettling, and eye-opening!
Erin Kelly has crafted a compelling story that starts with a whisper and ends with a shout. This is a slow burner that becomes more and more riveting as the story progresses. The story was cleverly constructed, Creating a constant air of mystery, and a continuous need to know. A story about living a life always fearing that the truth will come out. An institution that meant different things to different people. A real and raw look at Women and mental health throughout history.
The story jumps around in time and is told from multiple perspectives. The book opens with Marianne returning home to help care for her ailing mother. Her loving husband has a surprise for her, A luxury apartment to stay in rather than camping out on her sister’s couch. The thing is the apartment is located in a renovated mental hospital, The place where all Mariann’s secrets are buried. Home also comes with the risk of running into her ex-boyfriend Jessie who is still bitter and blames her for the past. The story then bounces back in time to 1988 where we learn what Marianne and Jessie were up to. Then we jump back even further to 1958 where we meet a young Helen. I felt structuring the story this way was tremendously impactful. We got to meet the characters and then we got to understand why they were the way they were and what their motivations were.
I found all these characters compelling, but I have to admit I found Helen’s story the most intriguing. The treatment of women who did not conform in the 1950s and earlier, in both the UK and the US was disgusting and disturbing. You really got to know and understand all these characters perspectives. They all wanted different things for different reasons and a lot of these things were conflicting, but I completely understood where each of them was coming from. Didn’t always agree with their actions, but I understood their motivations.
This was an extremely well done, genre defying book that I won’t soon forget!
🎧🎧🎧 this audiobook was narrated by three different narrator’s. Giving each character their own unique voice. I thought each narrator did a really good job. I need to give major props to whoever narrated Marianne she did an amazing Jessie voice. I think the English accents especially the regional accents really added to the overall atmosphere of this book.
*** many thanks to Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for my copy of this book ***
Erin Kelly has crafted a compelling story that starts with a whisper and ends with a shout. This is a slow burner that becomes more and more riveting as the story progresses. The story was cleverly constructed, Creating a constant air of mystery, and a continuous need to know. A story about living a life always fearing that the truth will come out. An institution that meant different things to different people. A real and raw look at Women and mental health throughout history.
The story jumps around in time and is told from multiple perspectives. The book opens with Marianne returning home to help care for her ailing mother. Her loving husband has a surprise for her, A luxury apartment to stay in rather than camping out on her sister’s couch. The thing is the apartment is located in a renovated mental hospital, The place where all Mariann’s secrets are buried. Home also comes with the risk of running into her ex-boyfriend Jessie who is still bitter and blames her for the past. The story then bounces back in time to 1988 where we learn what Marianne and Jessie were up to. Then we jump back even further to 1958 where we meet a young Helen. I felt structuring the story this way was tremendously impactful. We got to meet the characters and then we got to understand why they were the way they were and what their motivations were.
I found all these characters compelling, but I have to admit I found Helen’s story the most intriguing. The treatment of women who did not conform in the 1950s and earlier, in both the UK and the US was disgusting and disturbing. You really got to know and understand all these characters perspectives. They all wanted different things for different reasons and a lot of these things were conflicting, but I completely understood where each of them was coming from. Didn’t always agree with their actions, but I understood their motivations.
This was an extremely well done, genre defying book that I won’t soon forget!
🎧🎧🎧 this audiobook was narrated by three different narrator’s. Giving each character their own unique voice. I thought each narrator did a really good job. I need to give major props to whoever narrated Marianne she did an amazing Jessie voice. I think the English accents especially the regional accents really added to the overall atmosphere of this book.
*** many thanks to Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for my copy of this book ***
March 24, 2019
3.5 stars* (rounded up)
Secrets: Everyone has them. Some, are best kept hidden!
Nazareth: It’s an eerie place. Creepy, dark and downright scary - it’s not a place I’d ever want to visit.
Marianne and Jess were sweethearts once. Then Marianne ran off. Jesse always believed that he got the short end of the stick. That makes him a desperate man.
Nowadays, Helen Greenlaw is extremely successful - and yet she is always afraid that the walls are going to come crashing down. Meanwhile, Marianne’s husband Sam, has quite the surprise planned, which makes Marianne scared straight.
The ties that bind these three are oh so complicated when the past and the present collide! “Stone Mothers” is novel that features different narrators - with Helen being my favorite as I felt her story was the strongest and found her character to be quite intriguing. Having read a few of Erin Kelly’s novels, I think this was one had a different feel to it than her others - it was slow to start and then it took off, and that was thanks to Helen who stole the show. To be perfectly honest, the creepy, dark atmosphere of this one gave me the chills. I have a feeling that once you take a deep dive into “Stone Mothers” you’ll react the same way!
This was another buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to Allison Ziegler at Minotaur Books, NetGalley and to Erin Kelley for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley, Goodreads on 3.24.19.
Will be published on Amazon on 4.23.19.
Secrets: Everyone has them. Some, are best kept hidden!
Nazareth: It’s an eerie place. Creepy, dark and downright scary - it’s not a place I’d ever want to visit.
Marianne and Jess were sweethearts once. Then Marianne ran off. Jesse always believed that he got the short end of the stick. That makes him a desperate man.
Nowadays, Helen Greenlaw is extremely successful - and yet she is always afraid that the walls are going to come crashing down. Meanwhile, Marianne’s husband Sam, has quite the surprise planned, which makes Marianne scared straight.
The ties that bind these three are oh so complicated when the past and the present collide! “Stone Mothers” is novel that features different narrators - with Helen being my favorite as I felt her story was the strongest and found her character to be quite intriguing. Having read a few of Erin Kelly’s novels, I think this was one had a different feel to it than her others - it was slow to start and then it took off, and that was thanks to Helen who stole the show. To be perfectly honest, the creepy, dark atmosphere of this one gave me the chills. I have a feeling that once you take a deep dive into “Stone Mothers” you’ll react the same way!
This was another buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to Allison Ziegler at Minotaur Books, NetGalley and to Erin Kelley for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley, Goodreads on 3.24.19.
Will be published on Amazon on 4.23.19.
May 22, 2019
I remember well my experience reading He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly. Wow, did I ever find it tense and mesmerizing. Kelly has her own style. Her writing is tantalizing, completely immersing you in the minds of her characters; characters you will come to know in three-dimension, and you will feel as if you are living amongst them.
Marianne left her home in a small working class town at the age of seventeen. She left her family, her somewhat troubled, but devoted, boyfriend, Jesse, and a dead body. We know this early on, but it takes quite some time to draw out exactly what part Marianne played in the death. Slow tension, ratcheting up and up.
It’s decades later when Marianne has to return to town to care for her terminally ill mother. Her thoughtful husband has bought her a flat in a renovated former “insane asylum.” She has a connection to this place, which takes time to unfold. Marianne is also hiding from Jesse for fear of his mercurial moods. He never forgave her leaving and still seems to be longing for her.
Marianne has a house of cards she’s built. At any point, they could all come tumbling down if the truth should come out about her role. She can’t trust Jesse, and she hardly trusts herself. Her husband and daughter can never know what she did- not just because they would leave or scorn her. She has much deeper worries about them, especially her daughter.
As the story builds, we learn that Marianne may not know all there is to know about what happened, and she may be the person someone else wants to silence.
Stone Mothers has multiple narrators and timelines. They all merge as the tension reaches fever pitch, and thread-by-thread, the story comes brilliantly together. It was that same kind of cross-walked masterful storytelling I experienced with He Said/She Said.
Stone Mothers is not a banging thriller with twists and turns at every corner. Instead, it is a character-driven, chilling, and suspenseful with precise storytelling and a completely original plot. I find Erin Kelly’s style refreshing, engaging, and enthralling.
Slower burns may not be for everyone, but they most definitely are for me. As a reader, I have time and space to analyze, ponder, and build theories. I can breathe and relax into the story and get to know the characters. I may even feel as if I am part of the story as I did in this case. I absolutely love that.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Marianne left her home in a small working class town at the age of seventeen. She left her family, her somewhat troubled, but devoted, boyfriend, Jesse, and a dead body. We know this early on, but it takes quite some time to draw out exactly what part Marianne played in the death. Slow tension, ratcheting up and up.
It’s decades later when Marianne has to return to town to care for her terminally ill mother. Her thoughtful husband has bought her a flat in a renovated former “insane asylum.” She has a connection to this place, which takes time to unfold. Marianne is also hiding from Jesse for fear of his mercurial moods. He never forgave her leaving and still seems to be longing for her.
Marianne has a house of cards she’s built. At any point, they could all come tumbling down if the truth should come out about her role. She can’t trust Jesse, and she hardly trusts herself. Her husband and daughter can never know what she did- not just because they would leave or scorn her. She has much deeper worries about them, especially her daughter.
As the story builds, we learn that Marianne may not know all there is to know about what happened, and she may be the person someone else wants to silence.
Stone Mothers has multiple narrators and timelines. They all merge as the tension reaches fever pitch, and thread-by-thread, the story comes brilliantly together. It was that same kind of cross-walked masterful storytelling I experienced with He Said/She Said.
Stone Mothers is not a banging thriller with twists and turns at every corner. Instead, it is a character-driven, chilling, and suspenseful with precise storytelling and a completely original plot. I find Erin Kelly’s style refreshing, engaging, and enthralling.
Slower burns may not be for everyone, but they most definitely are for me. As a reader, I have time and space to analyze, ponder, and build theories. I can breathe and relax into the story and get to know the characters. I may even feel as if I am part of the story as I did in this case. I absolutely love that.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
May 17, 2019
3.5 Stars
I read Stone Mothers with a couple of my Instagram friends and it lead to such a great discussion.
Victorian mental asylum, deep dark secrets threatened to be exposed and the lengths these characters take to keep them buried.
The Stone Mothers is an atmospheric, slow-burn psychological thriller that at times I found a bit like a drama rather than a thriller. I love a good atmospheric read with walls that hold secrets begging to be told and this story sure delivers on that. However, the part that didn’t quite deliver for me was the suspense I needed more but that was ok because the drama part of the story was well done.
The story started off a bit slow at building the suspense and tension however it left us feeling as Heidi described as feeling like we were all part of a group but were the only ones who didn’t know what everyone was talking about. We felt like we were kept in the dark. I started to feel a bit impatient and frustrated and that slowed down the story for me. The story did pick up for me at Part two and I began to turn those pages as fast as I could to see how everything wrapped up in the end.
What I really liked about this story and made the story for me I can’t really say as it could be a spoiler for some people. I guess that’s what makes discussing in a group so great. I highly recommend for buddy/group reads.
I received a complimentary copy on NetGalley from the publisher
I read Stone Mothers with a couple of my Instagram friends and it lead to such a great discussion.
Victorian mental asylum, deep dark secrets threatened to be exposed and the lengths these characters take to keep them buried.
The Stone Mothers is an atmospheric, slow-burn psychological thriller that at times I found a bit like a drama rather than a thriller. I love a good atmospheric read with walls that hold secrets begging to be told and this story sure delivers on that. However, the part that didn’t quite deliver for me was the suspense I needed more but that was ok because the drama part of the story was well done.
The story started off a bit slow at building the suspense and tension however it left us feeling as Heidi described as feeling like we were all part of a group but were the only ones who didn’t know what everyone was talking about. We felt like we were kept in the dark. I started to feel a bit impatient and frustrated and that slowed down the story for me. The story did pick up for me at Part two and I began to turn those pages as fast as I could to see how everything wrapped up in the end.
What I really liked about this story and made the story for me I can’t really say as it could be a spoiler for some people. I guess that’s what makes discussing in a group so great. I highly recommend for buddy/group reads.
I received a complimentary copy on NetGalley from the publisher
June 24, 2019
A mother who wants to hang on too long. A mother who never wanted to be a mother in the first place. And a mother whose memory is crumbling bit by bit, courtesy of dementia. A husband's gift to his wife was meant to be a special surprise. It was, but he couldn't have guessed the nightmares it would cause to surface. Her mind turns itchy, full of dark thoughts churning like eels. Patience is key here, let things simmer, the full rolling boil will come soon enough.
October 1, 2018
This arrived then I read it. Because it’s Erin Kelly, author of now quite a few books that sit in my top reads of all time. Because I love the way she writes and the way she crafts her characters – especially that because truly, none of them ever leave me.
Stone Mothers is an intense, intelligent and extraordinarily emotional novel that takes one unintentional outcome and shows the impact this has on those involved and those linked to them.
Tracing a path back through time, pulling on a thread, unravelling layers, this story is character driven drama at its very very best. It is nuanced and darkly observant, with those now very trademark “moments” I’ve come to associate with this author. MOMENTS not necessarily twists – where your heart stops for a beat or two and you have to just absorb the impact, accept the hit, remember to breath.
Utterly compelling, where the things you think are true can be ironically turned around on you, with a beautifully complex and fascinating core and some plotting perfection, I loved this. Another one for that list.
“They” say Crime can’t be literary and literary can’t be crime – well I say you can have the best of both worlds and here is Erin Kelly’s Stone Mothers to prove my point for me.
Highly Recommended.
Stone Mothers is an intense, intelligent and extraordinarily emotional novel that takes one unintentional outcome and shows the impact this has on those involved and those linked to them.
Tracing a path back through time, pulling on a thread, unravelling layers, this story is character driven drama at its very very best. It is nuanced and darkly observant, with those now very trademark “moments” I’ve come to associate with this author. MOMENTS not necessarily twists – where your heart stops for a beat or two and you have to just absorb the impact, accept the hit, remember to breath.
Utterly compelling, where the things you think are true can be ironically turned around on you, with a beautifully complex and fascinating core and some plotting perfection, I loved this. Another one for that list.
“They” say Crime can’t be literary and literary can’t be crime – well I say you can have the best of both worlds and here is Erin Kelly’s Stone Mothers to prove my point for me.
Highly Recommended.
March 31, 2020
3.5 stars.
Alternative title ‘We Know, You know’
Why does Marianne fill with panic, shock and terror when husband Sam makes a surprise purchase of a luxury apartment in the newly converted Nazareth Hospital, originally the East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum. The conversion is stunning and it has beautiful features. It is close to where Marianne was born in Nusstead, Suffolk and it will mean she can be close to her very sick mother and not impose on relatives who have little space. Her feelings seem to be linked to Jesse Brame who was her boyfriend for a few months when she was sixteen. Even more mysteriously how do Jesse and Marianne connect to Dame Helen Greenlaw, now in the House of Lords, former MP for the area and an activist for the closure of the original hospital. The story starts with the purchase of the apartment in 2018, tracks back to Jesse and Marianne’s story in 1988, then further back to 1958 to Helen’s story and the full circle back to 2018.
There are some excellent descriptions of the old hospital especially from 1988 and 1958 and this oozes atmosphere which at times is very chilling. The 1958 treatments and attitudes are very powerful sections. The area in Suffolk is also well depicted, people rely on the old hospital for employment and times are hard economically when it closes which creates resentment. The characters are well portrayed although not all are likeable. The most interesting story is Helen’s which is both appalling and shocking although sadly not unusual at this point in mental health treatment and this has well documented elsewhere too. There are a number of elements in the story but I think the strongest is injustice and powerlessness.
However, I find parts of the story confusing especially at the beginning, in places it’s drawn out, the pacing is uneven and the mystery/ thriller element is not as strong as it could be. The end is a bit disappointing as it seems to peter out.
Overall, it promises more than it delivers. It’s a really good premise but the storytelling is uneven although there are some really good sections.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.
Alternative title ‘We Know, You know’
Why does Marianne fill with panic, shock and terror when husband Sam makes a surprise purchase of a luxury apartment in the newly converted Nazareth Hospital, originally the East Anglia Pauper Lunatic Asylum. The conversion is stunning and it has beautiful features. It is close to where Marianne was born in Nusstead, Suffolk and it will mean she can be close to her very sick mother and not impose on relatives who have little space. Her feelings seem to be linked to Jesse Brame who was her boyfriend for a few months when she was sixteen. Even more mysteriously how do Jesse and Marianne connect to Dame Helen Greenlaw, now in the House of Lords, former MP for the area and an activist for the closure of the original hospital. The story starts with the purchase of the apartment in 2018, tracks back to Jesse and Marianne’s story in 1988, then further back to 1958 to Helen’s story and the full circle back to 2018.
There are some excellent descriptions of the old hospital especially from 1988 and 1958 and this oozes atmosphere which at times is very chilling. The 1958 treatments and attitudes are very powerful sections. The area in Suffolk is also well depicted, people rely on the old hospital for employment and times are hard economically when it closes which creates resentment. The characters are well portrayed although not all are likeable. The most interesting story is Helen’s which is both appalling and shocking although sadly not unusual at this point in mental health treatment and this has well documented elsewhere too. There are a number of elements in the story but I think the strongest is injustice and powerlessness.
However, I find parts of the story confusing especially at the beginning, in places it’s drawn out, the pacing is uneven and the mystery/ thriller element is not as strong as it could be. The end is a bit disappointing as it seems to peter out.
Overall, it promises more than it delivers. It’s a really good premise but the storytelling is uneven although there are some really good sections.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.
January 27, 2020
As I got into Stone Mothers, I realized I was at page 50 and still had no idea what was going on. And not in a "let's spin the mystery and build the suspense" kind of way, but in the "what the hell is happening?" kind of way. I was confused and annoyed, contemplating just DNFing it.
But I stuck it out... and around page 100 it got better. Part 2 and Part 3 were definitely better than Part 1.
Not enough to save this book though, in my opinion. 2.5 stars rounded down.
If you want to read a book by this author, check out He Said/She Said instead.
But I stuck it out... and around page 100 it got better. Part 2 and Part 3 were definitely better than Part 1.
Not enough to save this book though, in my opinion. 2.5 stars rounded down.
If you want to read a book by this author, check out He Said/She Said instead.
April 23, 2019
Poignant and haunting—Erin Kelly’s latest novel Stone Mothers has an elegance to it that is both poetic and dark. Things are not always what they seem in this novel, and it is sort of written as a novel in reverse, beginning in present day and then moving progressively backwards in time, before resetting back to present day. I found the characters in this novel absolutely fascinating, particularly the more we learned about their past. By about 35% I struggled to put this book down!
The setting of Stone Mothers really takes the trend of refurbishing old buildings into luxury apartments to a new level, as a former Victorian mental asylum is transformed into luxury accommodations. I thought the descriptions of the hospital, both before and after the renovations, were so vivid. This is the first novel I’ve read by Erin Kelly but she has a way with building a mental image of the scenes she describes. I found this book to be incredibly atmospheric, which really added to the suspenseful feel of this gothic thriller!
We begin in present day, where architectural professor Marianne Thackeray is traveling back to Nusstead, the place where she grew up to visit her ailing mother. Marianne left Nusstead—a town built primarily around Nazareth Mental Hospital—at seventeen, with barely a backward glance. A few years before she left, Nazareth closed its doors for good—sending the town of Nusstead into an economic crisis as the majority of residents were left without work.
But the building itself—called a Stone Mother due to the belief when it was originally designed that the building itself could offer therapeutic benefits to those suffering from mental illness—always held a strange fascination for Nazareth. It is the place she first fell in love, and also the place where her darkest secret lives. A secret shared with her then boyfriend, Jesse Brame, and politician Helen Greenlaw.
Now, Marianne is worried about the secret getting out. She’s returned to Nusstead and it has set off a chain of events that she’s not sure she can stop alone…
That mysterious secret shared by an unlikely trio—I found myself wondering what it could possibly be! The first part of the book is told by Marianne in the present, and then the second part is told be Marianne in 1988—the year she was seventeen and decided to leave home. I won’t spoil anything, but this is where you learn about the secret, and it is quite unexpected! And you also learn about another secret…
Then in the third part we move even further back in time to 1958, when Helen Greenlaw was a young woman, and more secrets are revealed. Helen as a character positively fascinated me. I wish I could talk more about Helen, but I think there is little I can say without spoiling it for readers. And rest assured, you do NOT want to be spoiled on Helen’s story! From the turn to 1988 in Part 2 and 1958 in Part 3, readers will not be able to put this book down. Both storylines are complete engrossing, and tie together with one another in very intricate ways.
I’m going to leave you there with this review… I absolutely loved this book! As some readers noted, it is a bit slow in the first part, because you aren’t really sure what is going on fully. That didn’t bother me at all, I found it very typical for a gothic thriller to begin slow and build up. My recommendation—get to know Marianne and Nazareth in Part 1. It all ties together in a fantastically intricate way!!!
Thank you to the awesome team at Minotaur Books for my copy.
The setting of Stone Mothers really takes the trend of refurbishing old buildings into luxury apartments to a new level, as a former Victorian mental asylum is transformed into luxury accommodations. I thought the descriptions of the hospital, both before and after the renovations, were so vivid. This is the first novel I’ve read by Erin Kelly but she has a way with building a mental image of the scenes she describes. I found this book to be incredibly atmospheric, which really added to the suspenseful feel of this gothic thriller!
We begin in present day, where architectural professor Marianne Thackeray is traveling back to Nusstead, the place where she grew up to visit her ailing mother. Marianne left Nusstead—a town built primarily around Nazareth Mental Hospital—at seventeen, with barely a backward glance. A few years before she left, Nazareth closed its doors for good—sending the town of Nusstead into an economic crisis as the majority of residents were left without work.
But the building itself—called a Stone Mother due to the belief when it was originally designed that the building itself could offer therapeutic benefits to those suffering from mental illness—always held a strange fascination for Nazareth. It is the place she first fell in love, and also the place where her darkest secret lives. A secret shared with her then boyfriend, Jesse Brame, and politician Helen Greenlaw.
Now, Marianne is worried about the secret getting out. She’s returned to Nusstead and it has set off a chain of events that she’s not sure she can stop alone…
That mysterious secret shared by an unlikely trio—I found myself wondering what it could possibly be! The first part of the book is told by Marianne in the present, and then the second part is told be Marianne in 1988—the year she was seventeen and decided to leave home. I won’t spoil anything, but this is where you learn about the secret, and it is quite unexpected! And you also learn about another secret…
Then in the third part we move even further back in time to 1958, when Helen Greenlaw was a young woman, and more secrets are revealed. Helen as a character positively fascinated me. I wish I could talk more about Helen, but I think there is little I can say without spoiling it for readers. And rest assured, you do NOT want to be spoiled on Helen’s story! From the turn to 1988 in Part 2 and 1958 in Part 3, readers will not be able to put this book down. Both storylines are complete engrossing, and tie together with one another in very intricate ways.
I’m going to leave you there with this review… I absolutely loved this book! As some readers noted, it is a bit slow in the first part, because you aren’t really sure what is going on fully. That didn’t bother me at all, I found it very typical for a gothic thriller to begin slow and build up. My recommendation—get to know Marianne and Nazareth in Part 1. It all ties together in a fantastically intricate way!!!
Thank you to the awesome team at Minotaur Books for my copy.
July 6, 2019
Bojim se da je, sa zadnjom pročitanom stranicom romana Kamene majke, vrijeme za mene i Erin Kelly konačno isteklo, krediti za obnavljanje su potrošeni.
Nisam nešto bio oduševljen romanom On kaže/ona kaže, a s romanom Kamene majke sam tu negdje na istim granama. Što je prava šteta, zapravo. Autorica je za oba romana imala fantastične ideje koje zaista mame na čitanje. Pa čak i način na koji ona piše je takav da rečenice glatko teku. Ali sve pozitivno, što se mene tiče, tu nažalost završava.
Ili ja to ne vidim ili autorica jednostavno ne uspijeva stvoriti konkretan, višedimenzionalan lik, ili više njih. Likove koji će nositi radnju, likove za koje ćete vezati neka emocija, nebitno za stranu spektra. Uz takve likove i radnja izgleda isprazna i mnogo stranica ispada kao čisto kupovanje vremena. A da ne spominjem kroničan nedostatak nekih klasičnih trilerskih preokreta, stvaranje napetosti i iščekivanja. Jako mi je žao, gospođo Kelly, ali nas dvoje jednostavno se ne možemo pronaći na istim stranicama.
Nisam nešto bio oduševljen romanom On kaže/ona kaže, a s romanom Kamene majke sam tu negdje na istim granama. Što je prava šteta, zapravo. Autorica je za oba romana imala fantastične ideje koje zaista mame na čitanje. Pa čak i način na koji ona piše je takav da rečenice glatko teku. Ali sve pozitivno, što se mene tiče, tu nažalost završava.
Ili ja to ne vidim ili autorica jednostavno ne uspijeva stvoriti konkretan, višedimenzionalan lik, ili više njih. Likove koji će nositi radnju, likove za koje ćete vezati neka emocija, nebitno za stranu spektra. Uz takve likove i radnja izgleda isprazna i mnogo stranica ispada kao čisto kupovanje vremena. A da ne spominjem kroničan nedostatak nekih klasičnih trilerskih preokreta, stvaranje napetosti i iščekivanja. Jako mi je žao, gospođo Kelly, ali nas dvoje jednostavno se ne možemo pronaći na istim stranicama.
January 25, 2019
Marianne's husband has surprised her by buying a second home in the renovated asylum near where she grew up. Unfortunately the building has very disturbing memories from her youth and this is the reason she left the area and had planned never to return.
A slow paced psychological thriller with a few twist and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
A slow paced psychological thriller with a few twist and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2019
Initial Review:
I had a hard time getting into this book. It's well written, but I had some difficulty connecting with the characters until about two-thirds of the way through the book, when we got to experience the point of view of a fascinating character...
Full Review:
Synopsis
Marianne left her hometown a long time ago, only returning for brief visits with her family. But when her husband buys a surprise gift--a condo in a refurbished mental institution--she’s forced to come back and face her past. A past that involves the once abandoned insane asylum and a decades-old secret that's clawing its way back into the light...
Plot
The book begins with a very fast-paced, intense scene that’s wrought with tension. It’s not at all characteristic of the rest of the book, which is very slow and drawn out. The novel opens with Marianne returning to her hometown outside of London to live in a condominium her husband bought (without consulting her, despite the fact that they can barely afford it). The condominium is in a renovated mental institution that stood abandoned during Marianne’s teenage years.
Unfortunately I can’t go into detail on the best parts of the plot, because they took place two thirds of the way through the book. I will say that the book is divided up into parts, and one of the later parts deals with the asylum historically, talking about themes of feminism and mental illness that were engaging, fascinating, and, quite frankly, horrifying.
Characters
At one point I realized I'm too much of a millennial to truly relate to Marianne, which hasn't happened to me in other, similar books about forty-year-olds with teenaged children. She’s a mother of a young woman, Honor, who suffers from depression. I’m not a parent, but while I can’t relate to her, but I can definitely understand the struggles she’s going through. But when she posts embarrassing comments on her daughter’s professional photography Instagram account, I cringed so hard that I dropped the book.
The decisions she makes are embarrassing. She abandoned her boyfriend years ago (mild spoiler alert), yet when she returns to visit she plays like she’s the victim (spoiler alert: she isn’t).
I related much more to Helen Greenlaw, and not just because we share the same first name. At first she comes across as cold and psychopathic, but there are interesting revelations about her character as the novel progresses. I can’t say more without revealing critical plot points.
Stone Mothers deals with the fascinating themes of motherhood and mental illness. Kelly expertly draws parallels in several of the characters, which is one of the most memorable parts of this novel.
Setting
A highlight of the book is the setting. The Victorian mental institution is so well described that it felt like I was there. The descriptions are palpable, and it feels like the institution is a character in and of itself.
While Stone Mothers is slow paced, there are several good twists that kept the pages turning. This book is recommended to anyone who is looking for an atmospheric psychological suspense.
*Thank you to Minotaur books and Goodreads for the ARC for review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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My 2019 Reading Challenge
I had a hard time getting into this book. It's well written, but I had some difficulty connecting with the characters until about two-thirds of the way through the book, when we got to experience the point of view of a fascinating character...
Full Review:
Synopsis
Marianne left her hometown a long time ago, only returning for brief visits with her family. But when her husband buys a surprise gift--a condo in a refurbished mental institution--she’s forced to come back and face her past. A past that involves the once abandoned insane asylum and a decades-old secret that's clawing its way back into the light...
Plot
The book begins with a very fast-paced, intense scene that’s wrought with tension. It’s not at all characteristic of the rest of the book, which is very slow and drawn out. The novel opens with Marianne returning to her hometown outside of London to live in a condominium her husband bought (without consulting her, despite the fact that they can barely afford it). The condominium is in a renovated mental institution that stood abandoned during Marianne’s teenage years.
Unfortunately I can’t go into detail on the best parts of the plot, because they took place two thirds of the way through the book. I will say that the book is divided up into parts, and one of the later parts deals with the asylum historically, talking about themes of feminism and mental illness that were engaging, fascinating, and, quite frankly, horrifying.
Characters
At one point I realized I'm too much of a millennial to truly relate to Marianne, which hasn't happened to me in other, similar books about forty-year-olds with teenaged children. She’s a mother of a young woman, Honor, who suffers from depression. I’m not a parent, but while I can’t relate to her, but I can definitely understand the struggles she’s going through. But when she posts embarrassing comments on her daughter’s professional photography Instagram account, I cringed so hard that I dropped the book.
The decisions she makes are embarrassing. She abandoned her boyfriend years ago (mild spoiler alert), yet when she returns to visit she plays like she’s the victim (spoiler alert: she isn’t).
I related much more to Helen Greenlaw, and not just because we share the same first name. At first she comes across as cold and psychopathic, but there are interesting revelations about her character as the novel progresses. I can’t say more without revealing critical plot points.
Stone Mothers deals with the fascinating themes of motherhood and mental illness. Kelly expertly draws parallels in several of the characters, which is one of the most memorable parts of this novel.
Setting
A highlight of the book is the setting. The Victorian mental institution is so well described that it felt like I was there. The descriptions are palpable, and it feels like the institution is a character in and of itself.
While Stone Mothers is slow paced, there are several good twists that kept the pages turning. This book is recommended to anyone who is looking for an atmospheric psychological suspense.
*Thank you to Minotaur books and Goodreads for the ARC for review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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My 2019 Reading Challenge
May 24, 2019
Marianne's heart drops when she realizes her husband, Sam, has bought a flat for her in the town where she grew up, Nusstead. It's in the town's former mental asylum--all prettied up and converted into beautiful apartments. But Sam doesn't know about the dark secrets the asylum holds for Marianne and her teenage boyfriend, Jesse. Marianne fled Nusstead--and Jesse--as soon as she could, making a new life for herself with daughter Honor and Sam. Jesse never really forgave her and now that she's back, he's threatening to expose their long buried secrets. Marianne is determined to keep her husband and daughter from knowing about her past. But how far must she go to protect her secrets? And what doesn't she know about the past?
This was my first Erin Kelly book; it was a different sort of thriller. First off, please note there is a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide.
The book started off slow, and honestly, this is why I have such a hard time with being able to DNF a book. I was tempted for a little while, because I couldn't get into Marianne's voice or story. But then, as the book progressed, things picked up, and I actually became pretty engrossed in the plot. The story is sort of told backward, almost. It starts with the present and Marianne and then we get some different points of view, as well as timelines in the 80s and even 50s. (I don't want to say more than that.) The portion in the 80s is still told by Marianne, but I really liked her younger voice and was caught up in what was happening by then. I was glad I had kept reading. Initially, the book had seemed a little confusing--a lot is made about the fact that something has happened in the past and yet we don't know what it is--and yes, keeping us in suspense is the point, but still. It was a little much at times.
There are some interesting twists and connections in this one. I enjoyed how it shone a spotlight on women's issues and mental health stories. It's always rather scary to see how women's mental health was treated in the past, though I suppose women's health isn't being treated with much more respect right now, is it?
The book was a tad repetitive at the end as the storyline wrapped back around to the present, but it was still pretty interesting. I wasn't always sure if I was reading a thriller, a character driven novel, or a treatment on mental health and women's issues: sometimes it seemed like the book was struggling to find itself and maybe the ending faltered a little bit because of that. Still, overall, I enjoyed this book. It became progressively more interesting, and the intersecting stories, especially the ones in the past, were very compelling. I enjoyed the focus on mental health, especially. I have Erin Kelly's He Said/She Said on my TBR shelf, and I'll definitely pick it up at some point. 3.5 stars.
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This was my first Erin Kelly book; it was a different sort of thriller. First off, please note there is a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide.
The book started off slow, and honestly, this is why I have such a hard time with being able to DNF a book. I was tempted for a little while, because I couldn't get into Marianne's voice or story. But then, as the book progressed, things picked up, and I actually became pretty engrossed in the plot. The story is sort of told backward, almost. It starts with the present and Marianne and then we get some different points of view, as well as timelines in the 80s and even 50s. (I don't want to say more than that.) The portion in the 80s is still told by Marianne, but I really liked her younger voice and was caught up in what was happening by then. I was glad I had kept reading. Initially, the book had seemed a little confusing--a lot is made about the fact that something has happened in the past and yet we don't know what it is--and yes, keeping us in suspense is the point, but still. It was a little much at times.
There are some interesting twists and connections in this one. I enjoyed how it shone a spotlight on women's issues and mental health stories. It's always rather scary to see how women's mental health was treated in the past, though I suppose women's health isn't being treated with much more respect right now, is it?
The book was a tad repetitive at the end as the storyline wrapped back around to the present, but it was still pretty interesting. I wasn't always sure if I was reading a thriller, a character driven novel, or a treatment on mental health and women's issues: sometimes it seemed like the book was struggling to find itself and maybe the ending faltered a little bit because of that. Still, overall, I enjoyed this book. It became progressively more interesting, and the intersecting stories, especially the ones in the past, were very compelling. I enjoyed the focus on mental health, especially. I have Erin Kelly's He Said/She Said on my TBR shelf, and I'll definitely pick it up at some point. 3.5 stars.
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June 13, 2019
As a teenager, Marianne left her hometown of Nusstead. Now, thirty years later, she has returned to care for her ailing mother. Marianne's husband surprises her with a new flat in Nusstead. Unfortunately, the flat is in a renovated mental asylum. The one place that Marianne never wanted to see again. Marianne has a secret from her past that deals with the former asylum, and she wants to keep her secret hidden.
Told with multiple points of view (Marianne, Helen, and Honor) and multiple timelines (2018, 1988, and 1958). The 2018 timeline is the present story of Marianne, her family, and secrets from her past. The 1988 timeline is also about Marianne, and a crime she and her boyfriend committed. The 1958 timeline is about Helen.
This is a slow-paced novel that took a little while to get into. I never really connected with Marianne, but I found Helen fascinating. The different POVs and timelines enhanced the story, making for a more interesting read.
Atmospheric and suspenseful. Fans of Erin Kelly's He Said/She Said will likely enjoy this novel.
I borrowed this book from my local library.
Told with multiple points of view (Marianne, Helen, and Honor) and multiple timelines (2018, 1988, and 1958). The 2018 timeline is the present story of Marianne, her family, and secrets from her past. The 1988 timeline is also about Marianne, and a crime she and her boyfriend committed. The 1958 timeline is about Helen.
This is a slow-paced novel that took a little while to get into. I never really connected with Marianne, but I found Helen fascinating. The different POVs and timelines enhanced the story, making for a more interesting read.
Atmospheric and suspenseful. Fans of Erin Kelly's He Said/She Said will likely enjoy this novel.
I borrowed this book from my local library.
May 15, 2019
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly is a psychological thriller that is told from multiple points of view and from different points in time. There are three main viewpoints from Marianne, Honor and Helen.
Marianne had left her hometown as a teenager and had not returned since. Now however Marianne’s mother has become ill and in a kind gesture her husband buys a home in her old town to be near her mother but Marianne can’t help but feel the secrets of her past coming back to haunt her.
Erin Kelly was an author I was familiar with having read her novel, He Said/She Said. That book for me was one that while I didn’t find it perfect I do remember the story being compelling and liking it well enough in the end to want to take a chance with this book. However, Stone Mothers for me was one that I just never really found myself invested in or connecting to at all being very slow moving in my opinion so it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Marianne had left her hometown as a teenager and had not returned since. Now however Marianne’s mother has become ill and in a kind gesture her husband buys a home in her old town to be near her mother but Marianne can’t help but feel the secrets of her past coming back to haunt her.
Erin Kelly was an author I was familiar with having read her novel, He Said/She Said. That book for me was one that while I didn’t find it perfect I do remember the story being compelling and liking it well enough in the end to want to take a chance with this book. However, Stone Mothers for me was one that I just never really found myself invested in or connecting to at all being very slow moving in my opinion so it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 28, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly is an incredibly atmospheric, slow-burn of a mystery that will keep you in suspense until the very last page.
What it's about: Marianne moved away from her hometown of Nusstead when she was just a teenager, leaving both her family and boyfriend Jesse behind. Now she has come back thirty years later to help her sister take care of their aging mother. But Nusstead, and especially an old asylum turned flats, holds a lot of secrets for her, Jesse, and others. When Jesse threatens to bring their secrets to light, Marianne is determined to keep her past from her daughter and husband, even if that means turning to an old enemy for help.
Stone Mothers was a slower read for me which I think had a lot to do with the language used in the book. It might be because Kelly is from a different country, but I found myself having to pause my reading and go back to reread things because I didn't fully understand what I had read. I didn't really mind this, but thought it was important to note for my review.
There is a lot of detail in this book and I loved how atmospheric it was. It made the story very immersive, especially in the parts that involved the asylum. I was fully creeped out multiple times during the book, and Kelly's writing was so vivid I felt like I was there. I think this book would make an awesome movie.
There are 4 different parts to the book, part one and two are told from the perspective of Marianne, part 3 is the perspective of a woman named Helen, and the last is from the perspective of Marianne's daughter Honor. I liked that the parts tied past and present together and how it was formatted, except that it feels like it takes a very long time to reconnect to a cliffhanger towards the beginning of the book. Some people might forget that it even happened, just because there are so many details in between.
Final Thought: Overall I truly enjoyed Stone Mothers. It is very important to note that this probably won't be one most people will fly through and you will be forced to take your time. There isn't a fast pace, and it is definitely character driven, but it is done so well that I didn't want to stop reading. I haven't read Kelly's first book yet, He Said/She Said, but you can bet I will be now!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly is an incredibly atmospheric, slow-burn of a mystery that will keep you in suspense until the very last page.
What it's about: Marianne moved away from her hometown of Nusstead when she was just a teenager, leaving both her family and boyfriend Jesse behind. Now she has come back thirty years later to help her sister take care of their aging mother. But Nusstead, and especially an old asylum turned flats, holds a lot of secrets for her, Jesse, and others. When Jesse threatens to bring their secrets to light, Marianne is determined to keep her past from her daughter and husband, even if that means turning to an old enemy for help.
Stone Mothers was a slower read for me which I think had a lot to do with the language used in the book. It might be because Kelly is from a different country, but I found myself having to pause my reading and go back to reread things because I didn't fully understand what I had read. I didn't really mind this, but thought it was important to note for my review.
There is a lot of detail in this book and I loved how atmospheric it was. It made the story very immersive, especially in the parts that involved the asylum. I was fully creeped out multiple times during the book, and Kelly's writing was so vivid I felt like I was there. I think this book would make an awesome movie.
There are 4 different parts to the book, part one and two are told from the perspective of Marianne, part 3 is the perspective of a woman named Helen, and the last is from the perspective of Marianne's daughter Honor. I liked that the parts tied past and present together and how it was formatted, except that it feels like it takes a very long time to reconnect to a cliffhanger towards the beginning of the book. Some people might forget that it even happened, just because there are so many details in between.
Final Thought: Overall I truly enjoyed Stone Mothers. It is very important to note that this probably won't be one most people will fly through and you will be forced to take your time. There isn't a fast pace, and it is definitely character driven, but it is done so well that I didn't want to stop reading. I haven't read Kelly's first book yet, He Said/She Said, but you can bet I will be now!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
September 7, 2021
So turns out this is the second book this week that I've already read (Stone Mother's) with just a different title and cover, I believe when authors put it the same book with with just a different title or cover or both that they're cheating in some way and I feel cheated out of a read but that author. Definitely more awareness should be put in to that to let readers know. Disappointed reader.
April 11, 2019
Rounded up to 4.5 Stars for this slow-burning suspense!
After reading He Said, She Said and being blown away, Erin Kelly immediately went on my list of authors whose books I had to read as soon as they came out. When I heard Stone Mothers was coming out, I knew I had to read it.
I'm not going to completely retell the synopsis here because I think it gives the perfect amount of information for you to go into the book; honestly, it's best to go into this one a little blind as I think it is with all of Kelly's books. Marianne Thackeray, ex-boyfriend Jesse Brame, and now MP Helen Greenlaw have been entangled in a dreadful secret for over thirty years. Marianne thought she had escaped her past, but this shared secret and Jesse's deep-seated hatred of the woman who destroyed Nazareth Hospital, the mental asylum that employed most of Nusstead, could be her undoing.
The secret is hinted at throughout the book, which is told in four different parts starting in the present, going back to the 1950s, and returning to the present day. I love Kelly's slow-burning style and each part not only begins to unravel the mystery but foretells what is to come next with an emotional impact that had me bracing myself. I will say the part written in the 1950s is my favorite of all even though it was gut-wrenching, horrifying, and sometimes hard to read.
I cannot think of another author of this genre who makes me think of themes deeper than who committed a crime, but Kelly has a true knack for getting you to care about social issues and intensely reflect while these issues assault your thoughts. Before reading this, I had no idea "stone mothers" was another name used for mental hospitals in Victorian times. After reading the way mental patients were treated even into the late 1950s, the title took on a tragic and saddening meaning. More than writing a psychological thriller, Kelly has cleverly and deftly exposed the injustices and inequalities toward women, the mentally ill, and the poor.
What Kelly does so well is write psychological suspense that's a perfectly paced slow-burn where the suspense gradually builds to its stunning climax. Stone Mothers is not only well-written, but Kelly writes beautiful prose that is literary and strikingly beautiful-this isn't just a suspense novel, it reads like literary fiction because it's elegantly nuanced, detailed, and multilayered with haunted characters and a twisted plot so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down.
Of course, it's a book that I highly recommend and I cannot wait for Kelly's next book.
**Thank you so much, Alison Ziegler, at Minotaur Books and Erin Kelly for the review copy. All opinions are my own. **
After reading He Said, She Said and being blown away, Erin Kelly immediately went on my list of authors whose books I had to read as soon as they came out. When I heard Stone Mothers was coming out, I knew I had to read it.
I'm not going to completely retell the synopsis here because I think it gives the perfect amount of information for you to go into the book; honestly, it's best to go into this one a little blind as I think it is with all of Kelly's books. Marianne Thackeray, ex-boyfriend Jesse Brame, and now MP Helen Greenlaw have been entangled in a dreadful secret for over thirty years. Marianne thought she had escaped her past, but this shared secret and Jesse's deep-seated hatred of the woman who destroyed Nazareth Hospital, the mental asylum that employed most of Nusstead, could be her undoing.
The secret is hinted at throughout the book, which is told in four different parts starting in the present, going back to the 1950s, and returning to the present day. I love Kelly's slow-burning style and each part not only begins to unravel the mystery but foretells what is to come next with an emotional impact that had me bracing myself. I will say the part written in the 1950s is my favorite of all even though it was gut-wrenching, horrifying, and sometimes hard to read.
I cannot think of another author of this genre who makes me think of themes deeper than who committed a crime, but Kelly has a true knack for getting you to care about social issues and intensely reflect while these issues assault your thoughts. Before reading this, I had no idea "stone mothers" was another name used for mental hospitals in Victorian times. After reading the way mental patients were treated even into the late 1950s, the title took on a tragic and saddening meaning. More than writing a psychological thriller, Kelly has cleverly and deftly exposed the injustices and inequalities toward women, the mentally ill, and the poor.
What Kelly does so well is write psychological suspense that's a perfectly paced slow-burn where the suspense gradually builds to its stunning climax. Stone Mothers is not only well-written, but Kelly writes beautiful prose that is literary and strikingly beautiful-this isn't just a suspense novel, it reads like literary fiction because it's elegantly nuanced, detailed, and multilayered with haunted characters and a twisted plot so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down.
Of course, it's a book that I highly recommend and I cannot wait for Kelly's next book.
**Thank you so much, Alison Ziegler, at Minotaur Books and Erin Kelly for the review copy. All opinions are my own. **
April 3, 2019
‘Stone mother’ was a Victorian term for an asylum. Such a building sits at the heart of this novel, looming large over the small Suffolk town of Nusstead and defining many of the characters’ lives. Having escaped her impoverished background, Marianne has tried to leave behind memories of her ex-boyfriend Jesse and the terrible crime they covered up together. With her mother declining due to dementia, however, Marianne is forced to return. Her wealthy husband Sam thinks he’s doing her a favour by buying a surprise pied-à-terre in Nusstead, but Marianne is horrified: the flat is in the former Nazareth Mental Hospital, now rebranded as ‘Park Royal Manor’. On top of that, Jesse is still around, and still exerting a magnetic pull on Marianne. What did the two of them do 30 years ago? And what links them to a successful (though widely loathed) politician, Helen Greenlaw?
Stone Mothers unfolds its secrets very slowly. Rather than alternating chapters, it’s split into four lengthy chunks, so we have to read almost 100 pages of Marianne’s present-day situation (loaded with portentous references to Something Bad™ that happened in 1988) before there’s a flashback. This doesn’t feel like the best structure for a story that relies so heavily on events from a character’s past: by the end of Part One, I was getting so frustrated that I was close to giving up. Part Three, set in 1958, is the most compelling, mainly because it gives some context to the only character in the book I actually found interesting. The ending is as clever and satisfying a conclusion as I’ve come to expect from Erin Kelly, though it can’t fully make up for the general slowness and lack of originality.
I don’t know what went wrong here, because I’ve consistently enjoyed Kelly’s novels. In comparison to most of her previous work, Stone Mothers is a bit... ordinary. There are some interesting themes, around the stigmas attached to mental illness and poverty, but these are hardly new ground for the genre. I feel like every other UK/US thriller in the past few years has involved someone who grew up poor returning to their small, insular hometown after achieving success/wealth (and, inevitably, having to face an awful secret from their past). I do enjoy this trope; I just expected something more from such an accomplished writer.
If you haven’t read Erin Kelly yet, I recommend skipping this and trying one of her earlier books. The Poison Tree captures time and place so beautifully I can still easily call its setting to mind eight years after reading it. The Burning Air has one of the best twists I’ve ever read, a paradigm shift that changed everything I thought I knew about the story, a masterclass in how it should be done. He Said/She Said is irresistibly pacy and fantastically exciting, and the intriguing context of eclipse chasing makes it feel like something completely new.
I received an advance review copy of Stone Mothers from the publisher through NetGalley.
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Stone Mothers unfolds its secrets very slowly. Rather than alternating chapters, it’s split into four lengthy chunks, so we have to read almost 100 pages of Marianne’s present-day situation (loaded with portentous references to Something Bad™ that happened in 1988) before there’s a flashback. This doesn’t feel like the best structure for a story that relies so heavily on events from a character’s past: by the end of Part One, I was getting so frustrated that I was close to giving up. Part Three, set in 1958, is the most compelling, mainly because it gives some context to the only character in the book I actually found interesting. The ending is as clever and satisfying a conclusion as I’ve come to expect from Erin Kelly, though it can’t fully make up for the general slowness and lack of originality.
I don’t know what went wrong here, because I’ve consistently enjoyed Kelly’s novels. In comparison to most of her previous work, Stone Mothers is a bit... ordinary. There are some interesting themes, around the stigmas attached to mental illness and poverty, but these are hardly new ground for the genre. I feel like every other UK/US thriller in the past few years has involved someone who grew up poor returning to their small, insular hometown after achieving success/wealth (and, inevitably, having to face an awful secret from their past). I do enjoy this trope; I just expected something more from such an accomplished writer.
If you haven’t read Erin Kelly yet, I recommend skipping this and trying one of her earlier books. The Poison Tree captures time and place so beautifully I can still easily call its setting to mind eight years after reading it. The Burning Air has one of the best twists I’ve ever read, a paradigm shift that changed everything I thought I knew about the story, a masterclass in how it should be done. He Said/She Said is irresistibly pacy and fantastically exciting, and the intriguing context of eclipse chasing makes it feel like something completely new.
I received an advance review copy of Stone Mothers from the publisher through NetGalley.
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May 11, 2019
3.5 Stars...
Well this was one of the strangest reads! Mostly because the first 150 pages were so incredibly slow I wanted to give up on this and move on to something else, but something told me to stick to it though and I'm pretty happy I did...I have a sense of accomplishment now! With the first half being two stars and the second half being four stars, I decided to go somewhere in between with this one on my rating. That being said, this is almost exactly how my previous experience with Erin Kelly was with her novel He Said/She Said, except the second half of that book was much better than this one. I think, for me, this one lacked a little bit of excitement and intensity so it wasn't exactly up my alley. I wouldn't classify this as a 'thriller' by any means either, this was definitely much more of a drama than anything. I don't like to give anything away and plots because I don't want to inadvertently spoil something but essentially this covers blackmail and mental illness... decades upon decades of it. I would also consider this a cautionary tale about keeping secrets to yourself that you shouldn't be keeping and how it can wear you out and be harmful to yourself and those who love in the long run! I learned a bit I hadn't already known about Victorian mental asylums and appreciated this read for that aspect of it but really felt like with what she covered, she could have wrapped things up in lot less in less than 350 pages! I suppose you could say this one dragged on and on at times. I will say that the writing overall was splendid, and may have been this book's saving grace for me.
Overall this book was decent, not great. It had its pros and cons that's for sure. Interested to see what everyone else thinks about it though!
Well this was one of the strangest reads! Mostly because the first 150 pages were so incredibly slow I wanted to give up on this and move on to something else, but something told me to stick to it though and I'm pretty happy I did...I have a sense of accomplishment now! With the first half being two stars and the second half being four stars, I decided to go somewhere in between with this one on my rating. That being said, this is almost exactly how my previous experience with Erin Kelly was with her novel He Said/She Said, except the second half of that book was much better than this one. I think, for me, this one lacked a little bit of excitement and intensity so it wasn't exactly up my alley. I wouldn't classify this as a 'thriller' by any means either, this was definitely much more of a drama than anything. I don't like to give anything away and plots because I don't want to inadvertently spoil something but essentially this covers blackmail and mental illness... decades upon decades of it. I would also consider this a cautionary tale about keeping secrets to yourself that you shouldn't be keeping and how it can wear you out and be harmful to yourself and those who love in the long run! I learned a bit I hadn't already known about Victorian mental asylums and appreciated this read for that aspect of it but really felt like with what she covered, she could have wrapped things up in lot less in less than 350 pages! I suppose you could say this one dragged on and on at times. I will say that the writing overall was splendid, and may have been this book's saving grace for me.
Overall this book was decent, not great. It had its pros and cons that's for sure. Interested to see what everyone else thinks about it though!
August 28, 2021
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2.5 stars (rounded up to 3)
This is a novel that never quite reaches its full potential.
Still, I'll try to first address the things that I liked about Stone Mothers.
I found the discourse on class and money (the way it can change you in ways that you might not be aware) to be very compelling. We see how money can distance you from your own family, your hometown, and even your younger self.
The novel also does a brilliant job in evoking this small English community and of how unemployment can damage a family not only financially but emotionally (there is anger, shame, guilt, and pain).
I also found it incredibly realistic the way in which Marianne's mother vascular dementia affected her loved ones. She only appeared in a few scenes but these were some of the few moments in which I felt emotionally involved by the story.
Nazareth is a building which emanates unease. It is oppressing and labyrinthine, yet I was fascinated by it. Kelly give this place a horrifying history, one that shapes the protagonist(s). Nazareth seems almost a character, if not the focus of the story. We are often given small details that consolidate this building's presence:
Now on the things that didn't quite work for me...
Like many other reviewers, I found this book incredibly slow. I don't think that dividing it into four sections worked in the story's favour. It just created distance between each narrative (the first one is from Marianne 'now', the second is from Marianne as a teenager, the third is from a patient staying at Nazareth in 1958, and the last one is from another character). They seemed like these self-contained condensed stories that didn't merge well with one another.
The first section stresses this 'big bad thing' that Marianne did...and when we actually get the details I felt underwhelmed. Other things happen but they never seem 'thrilling' to me. The suspense felt a bit forced (especially the final section when there is this unnecessary vagueness that seemed to exist merely to prolong the narrative).
The characters...they occasionally seemed a bit clichéd but they did have 'moments' of credibility.
Marianne was just plain awful. I disliked her not because of the 'big bad thing' but because she often sounded like a martyr.She is supposedly 'clever' and 'smart' (something which other characters, her degree, and her career, seem to imply) but to me she seemed anything but intelligent. She didn't even convince me in terms of her age. She is supposed to be in her later forties, she has managed to leave her small town behind, made her a new life for herself, etc. etc., and yet, she sounds exactly as experienced and self-aware as her teenage self. She was so naive, so irritatingly self-dramatizing, that she would been a more appropriate protagonist in an 18th cent. novel. I'm thinking something on the lines of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady.
She spends nearly 60% of the book reproaching herself, bemoaning that 'big bad thing', her 'evil' deed seeps into her vision so that no matter her surroundings she will see a reflection her sins staring back at her (“The eels are back, and this time they’re sliding all over the sky”). Or she gives this dramatic descriptions: “His lips are white, like they’ve got bones in them.”. Jeez. When she spoke she did it with lots of exclamations marks (‘You saw her!’) and italics abounded, so that she often comes across as both juvenile and unrealistic. To begin with I thought that she was being sarcastic or disingenuous but she was turns out...she is just dense.
The other two narrators were less irritating but I did find that one point of view sort of 'ruined' what could have been an interesting individual. I was hoping to read from the point of view of a calculating, ruthless, possibly psychopathic woman...but what we get is a sort of vindication where we learn that she isn't bad but simply . The last point of view is from a character who seemed an odd choice as she only appeared way back when in the first section. I think the book would have been more effective without this last section.
The main male characters fell in one of the following categories: stupid, dull, w*nker. There were two male characters who were decent-ish but had brief inconsequential appearances.
Marianne's relationship with her husband was one of the least convincing things in the story. They acted like they just met each other and I kept thinking that he was her second husband or something. They have no real history, their interactions kept making me question if they really had just met or something (when they have been supposedly married for 20 years or so).
Lastly, I wasn't a fun of the way in which people experiencing or suffering a mental illness or disorder were presented in such a patronising way. They look 'broken' and just feel everything 'too much': “she lives life so deeply but everything hurts her, it’s like – she’s got splinters in all of her fingertips and glass in her feet.”
There is this vagueness that tries to make scenes more 'suspenseful' by making things appear more sinister than they are...
The storyline is so slow and uneventful that I was temped to abandon it once or twice. There were few moments that I found enjoyable and or entertaining...still, there were some nice descriptions and although I think this would have worked better if all of the narratives had been from the first point of view, I think that Kelly's writing has the potential to create a much more interesting story.
2.5 stars (rounded up to 3)
“People lie to cover their tracks all the time but in the aftermath of true horror, there is a window – minutes, even seconds long – where shock drives out dissemblance and there is only room for a kind of devastated honesty.”
This is a novel that never quite reaches its full potential.
Still, I'll try to first address the things that I liked about Stone Mothers.
I found the discourse on class and money (the way it can change you in ways that you might not be aware) to be very compelling. We see how money can distance you from your own family, your hometown, and even your younger self.
The novel also does a brilliant job in evoking this small English community and of how unemployment can damage a family not only financially but emotionally (there is anger, shame, guilt, and pain).
I also found it incredibly realistic the way in which Marianne's mother vascular dementia affected her loved ones. She only appeared in a few scenes but these were some of the few moments in which I felt emotionally involved by the story.
Nazareth is a building which emanates unease. It is oppressing and labyrinthine, yet I was fascinated by it. Kelly give this place a horrifying history, one that shapes the protagonist(s). Nazareth seems almost a character, if not the focus of the story. We are often given small details that consolidate this building's presence:
“When I was at school, we wouldn’t say anyone behaving eccentrically was going round the bend but ‘getting the number six’. Back in the day, the number six bus was the one that, after they closed the railway, ferried workers and patients alike from Nusstead and beyond to Nazareth. I’d assumed it was a universal idiom. It was only when I went to Cromer Hall that I understood that the phrase was something I’d have to censor, along with my history, and my guilt, and the accent I shed like a shell.”
Now on the things that didn't quite work for me...
Like many other reviewers, I found this book incredibly slow. I don't think that dividing it into four sections worked in the story's favour. It just created distance between each narrative (the first one is from Marianne 'now', the second is from Marianne as a teenager, the third is from a patient staying at Nazareth in 1958, and the last one is from another character). They seemed like these self-contained condensed stories that didn't merge well with one another.
The first section stresses this 'big bad thing' that Marianne did...and when we actually get the details I felt underwhelmed. Other things happen but they never seem 'thrilling' to me. The suspense felt a bit forced (especially the final section when there is this unnecessary vagueness that seemed to exist merely to prolong the narrative).
The characters...they occasionally seemed a bit clichéd but they did have 'moments' of credibility.
Marianne was just plain awful. I disliked her not because of the 'big bad thing' but because she often sounded like a martyr.She is supposedly 'clever' and 'smart' (something which other characters, her degree, and her career, seem to imply) but to me she seemed anything but intelligent. She didn't even convince me in terms of her age. She is supposed to be in her later forties, she has managed to leave her small town behind, made her a new life for herself, etc. etc., and yet, she sounds exactly as experienced and self-aware as her teenage self. She was so naive, so irritatingly self-dramatizing, that she would been a more appropriate protagonist in an 18th cent. novel. I'm thinking something on the lines of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady.
She spends nearly 60% of the book reproaching herself, bemoaning that 'big bad thing', her 'evil' deed seeps into her vision so that no matter her surroundings she will see a reflection her sins staring back at her (“The eels are back, and this time they’re sliding all over the sky”). Or she gives this dramatic descriptions: “His lips are white, like they’ve got bones in them.”. Jeez. When she spoke she did it with lots of exclamations marks (‘You saw her!’) and italics abounded, so that she often comes across as both juvenile and unrealistic. To begin with I thought that she was being sarcastic or disingenuous but she was turns out...she is just dense.
The other two narrators were less irritating but I did find that one point of view sort of 'ruined' what could have been an interesting individual. I was hoping to read from the point of view of a calculating, ruthless, possibly psychopathic woman...but what we get is a sort of vindication where we learn that she isn't bad but simply . The last point of view is from a character who seemed an odd choice as she only appeared way back when in the first section. I think the book would have been more effective without this last section.
The main male characters fell in one of the following categories: stupid, dull, w*nker. There were two male characters who were decent-ish but had brief inconsequential appearances.
Marianne's relationship with her husband was one of the least convincing things in the story. They acted like they just met each other and I kept thinking that he was her second husband or something. They have no real history, their interactions kept making me question if they really had just met or something (when they have been supposedly married for 20 years or so).
Lastly, I wasn't a fun of the way in which people experiencing or suffering a mental illness or disorder were presented in such a patronising way. They look 'broken' and just feel everything 'too much': “she lives life so deeply but everything hurts her, it’s like – she’s got splinters in all of her fingertips and glass in her feet.”
There is this vagueness that tries to make scenes more 'suspenseful' by making things appear more sinister than they are...
The storyline is so slow and uneventful that I was temped to abandon it once or twice. There were few moments that I found enjoyable and or entertaining...still, there were some nice descriptions and although I think this would have worked better if all of the narratives had been from the first point of view, I think that Kelly's writing has the potential to create a much more interesting story.
“My mind trips to doublethink: theories I believe in even as I know they can’t be true. Something was uncovered, something was found during the development of Nazareth. Or someone has spotted me and knows. Someone has seen old records, old names, and put two and two together to make the four that implicates the three – me, Jesse and Helen Greenlaw.”
December 28, 2020
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly is a unique mystery/thriller.
I have to be honest, I couldn't get into this book. I found it too slow and the writing just didn't grab me.
The book does a great job hinting at a secret event, but it felt so repetitive to me. I wanted to know what happened and the book just kept skirting around it. If you like complex stories with lots going on, then this book is for you. Lately, I like my books fairly straightforward. I like thinking, but this book had me scratching my head and losing interest. I also didn't have time to just sit down and binge read, so I forgot some of the backstory by the time I got back to the book.
Overall, this book was not for me.
One out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I have to be honest, I couldn't get into this book. I found it too slow and the writing just didn't grab me.
The book does a great job hinting at a secret event, but it felt so repetitive to me. I wanted to know what happened and the book just kept skirting around it. If you like complex stories with lots going on, then this book is for you. Lately, I like my books fairly straightforward. I like thinking, but this book had me scratching my head and losing interest. I also didn't have time to just sit down and binge read, so I forgot some of the backstory by the time I got back to the book.
Overall, this book was not for me.
One out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 22, 2019
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**2.5 stars**
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly. (2019).
Marianne grew up in the shadow of an old asylum. She was 17 when she fled her hometown, her family, her boyfriend Jesse and the body they buried. Now, forced to return, the past is closing around her. And Jesse is threatening to expose the truth. Marianne will do anything to protect the life she's built, her husband and her daughter...even if it means turning to her worst enemy. But Marianne doesn't know the whole story and she's not the only one with secrets they'd kill to keep...
When I read the back of this book I thought yep, thriller type story set in relation to a mental asylum, that's my kind of novel. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. The narrative has the foundation and potential to be a great story but it just didn't seem to work well in this case. The entire book is fairly slow but part one is especially slow (and at 97 pages that's a bit rough). It did improve after that section but not enough to save the book in my opinion. The narrative is split into sections with each section being in different timelines but all related to the local mental health facility (aka the titular stone mother). I was interested enough to read to the end but as a whole I didn't really enjoy this book and it's not one I'd personally recommend.
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**2.5 stars**
Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly. (2019).
Marianne grew up in the shadow of an old asylum. She was 17 when she fled her hometown, her family, her boyfriend Jesse and the body they buried. Now, forced to return, the past is closing around her. And Jesse is threatening to expose the truth. Marianne will do anything to protect the life she's built, her husband and her daughter...even if it means turning to her worst enemy. But Marianne doesn't know the whole story and she's not the only one with secrets they'd kill to keep...
When I read the back of this book I thought yep, thriller type story set in relation to a mental asylum, that's my kind of novel. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. The narrative has the foundation and potential to be a great story but it just didn't seem to work well in this case. The entire book is fairly slow but part one is especially slow (and at 97 pages that's a bit rough). It did improve after that section but not enough to save the book in my opinion. The narrative is split into sections with each section being in different timelines but all related to the local mental health facility (aka the titular stone mother). I was interested enough to read to the end but as a whole I didn't really enjoy this book and it's not one I'd personally recommend.
April 13, 2019
20% read and all I've been given are lots of hints and allusions to something that happened "that day" - tedious, formulaic and overdone. First person, present tense narration. Really, it couldn't be more like every second "thriller" written in the last five years if it tried. I suspect, of course, that that is what it's aiming for. Success, then, for what it's worth, and I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy it. Not me, however. Abandoned.
February 20, 2019
The first book I ever read of Erin Kelly's was He/Said, She/Said in 2017 and this book also made my best of the year that year. Naturally, I've been excited to see what Kelly would follow up with ever since. Enter Stone Mothers. Marianne's husband has surprised her by purchasing them an apartment near her ailing mother, which also happens to be her childhood hometown - but, these apartments have been built where a now-defunct mental hospital used to be. Weird, to say the least. Marianne is extremely spooked by this but not just for the reasons you would think...as the story evolves, we learn Marianne's childhood sweetheart is a factor in this as well as a local politician. But what has them all so spooked and why?
Told in 4 slow burning sections, Kelly weaves an interesting tale that focuses on mental health, coming of age, poverty, government overreach and more. If you are looking for fast paced excitement with twists and turns abound, this will not be the book for you, however, if you can appreciate the long haul and the well written mystery as it evolves, I think you will enjoy this one just as much as I did.
I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Told in 4 slow burning sections, Kelly weaves an interesting tale that focuses on mental health, coming of age, poverty, government overreach and more. If you are looking for fast paced excitement with twists and turns abound, this will not be the book for you, however, if you can appreciate the long haul and the well written mystery as it evolves, I think you will enjoy this one just as much as I did.
I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
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January 1, 2019Wow. What an incredible book. I've just this second finished it and I'm in awe of Erin Kelly's skill as a writer - not just her beautifully lyrical prose and her ability to weave together a clever plot but her ability to take a theme and layer and build it so perfectly that it consumes you. There is a crime in Stone Mothers - there are several crimes - and, on the surface, it's about a chain of events that reverberate across the decades after one woman enters an asylum in 1958. But, more than that, it's about women and their ambition, their freedom, their mental health and their experience of motherhood. It's about the dreams we have, the choices we make and the secrets we keep and how bloody hard it is to stop history from repeating itself without making new mistakes. Stone Mothers is a powerful and moving story that will hook itself into your heart and keep you turning the pages late into the night. It's astoundingly good and I absolutely loved it.
February 6, 2019
Stone Mothers is a fabulous read. I loved this layered novel, and the build up of the characters. The novel is centered around things which occurred at an old mental hospital. Erin Kelly is an author I will be looking for. I highly recommend this book!
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