A Good Mother by A.L. Bird

About the Book

The greatest bond. The darkest betrayal.

Susan wakes up alone in a room she doesn’t recognise, with no memory of how she got there. She only knows that she is trapped, and her daughter is missing.

The relief that engulfs her when she hears her daughter’s voice through the wall is quickly replaced by fear.

The person who has imprisoned her has her daughter, too.

Devising a plan to keep her daughter safe, Susan begins to get closer to her unknown captor. And suddenly, she realises that she has met him before.

My Review

At the beginning The Good Mother is very intense. Susan and her daughter Cara have both been abducted and held in separate but adjoining rooms. Their abductor appears to know Susan very well. When Susan realises her daughter is next door she starts to communicate with her via tapping on the wall and passing her notes after convincing her abductor to give her some paper and a pencil.
The narrative switches between Susan and the abductor and also occasionally a school friend of Cara who seems to be aware of a secret. The abductor seems to have a conscience and is fearful of another man who is making his presence known.
It’s an unusual novel, and I did enjoy it until the big twist. A lot of novels have a twist now and I do like them but unfortunately this one left me a little lost. At first I was ok with it, when I realised who certain people were but it just got more bizarre, more confusing and slightly unrealistic.

With Thanks to the publisher for the copy via NetGalley