Lizzie Thomson, a young music teacher whose troubled childhood caused her deep insecurities in life, is now married to handsome, captivating and self-assured Markus. In spite of the differences between them everything seems going well until they discover Lizzie is expecting. They then, decide to move into a nice new home and start afresh.
Being a first-time mom Lizzie lacks the knowledge and skills she'll need in the near future, though, to her relief she meets her next door neighbor Morag, an elderly experienced nurse and mother living by herself and eager at the prospect of having a family and particularly a grandchild she'd always dreamt of.
Not much longer it took Morag to become an indispensable and dear friend who's always there to help in every situation. But soon, as the story develops the plot turns creepy when Morag starts meticulously planning every step and every decision regarding the household and especially Jamie's upbringing (Lizzie's little one).
Is Morag really willing to assist a primipara mother such as Lizzie or does she harbor a more sinister wish to fulfill the emptiness in her own frustrated life?
My rate:
The story portraits three VERY different characters, each one with a deep psychological issue that will interfere with the other two: In the first place we have Lizzie, raised by an unfit, careless mother who never got to truly love and appreciate her daughter. Lizzie will grow up lacking the confidence to stand by herself and claim her own independence throughout life. Thus she will play the perfect bait for a predator such as Morag.
In contrast, Morag, having failed being a mother herself she is now desperately seeking for the perfect child to provide her with what she calls her last chance to become a Gran and prove others that she can be a suitable grandma for Jamie. The search becomes a blinding obsession to control those around her, especially Lizzie, the needy orphan who's always attentive to carry out every instruction coming from knowledgeable Morag. But, has she ever considered something as valuable as measurement? That's something Morag never got know.
On the other side there's Markus, an uninterested husband and much less willing father, convinced that babies are a women's thing. He lives his life as the eternal bachelor, careless and over all absent. Parenthood was never in his plans, not even after becoming a dad himself, he miserably fails to protect mother and child from falling into sickly manipulation.
Markus, by neglecting both, partner and son confers Morag with the great opportunity of undertaking the role of mother and grandmother, and voilà everything fits perfectly. The relation between Lizzie and Morag fall into a game played by the needy and the provider and soon Morag's extreme fixation stifles Lizzie to a dangerous point.
I enjoyed reading about Morag, such a complex character; you never know what she is going to do next. She sees life in a very particular perspective difficult to understand for the average viewer. Why having a child is so important? Sometimes she plays the lovely lady who could be the most adorable granny, and next she becomes a frightening witch capable of the most despicable deeds.
The book reflects quite ordinary situations in which the strongest abuses the weakest, and to the same extent it happens in real life you don't know for sure who's who, moreover the story pictures Morag as someone not fully conscious of the lines she should not cross, therefore it makes it difficult to judge her as the villain. It also makes me think of how easy it is to accept too many favors that over a period of time you will be dragged into debt with someone you took for granted you shared a free friendship with. I like the way the author depicts all these emotional blackmailing and erratic behaviors individuals usually take too long to identify, and even more complicated to get rid of them in the right time.
Lizzie, on the other side, is the kind of a submissive person who doesn't even know how she ended up in such a mess. Unable to fend for herself, she was reduced to the minimum expression of herself, which is so exasperating at times that I'd like to shake her by the shoulders. This character makes me think of an aspect I'd like to mention, I loved the fact that the writer did not bother to disguise all motherhood strains a woman has to endure as to be presented as convenient and pleasant endeavors, I guess motherhood is usually overrated. Rather it clearly depicts the terrible difficulties that come along with having a child without prior careful planning. Well, Lizzie was no exception and she found herself trapped between not having time to work on a job nor being able to count on someone suitable to look after her baby, not to mention Markus who was not a father at all but rather a sheer donor.
Being a first-time mom Lizzie lacks the knowledge and skills she'll need in the near future, though, to her relief she meets her next door neighbor Morag, an elderly experienced nurse and mother living by herself and eager at the prospect of having a family and particularly a grandchild she'd always dreamt of.
Not much longer it took Morag to become an indispensable and dear friend who's always there to help in every situation. But soon, as the story develops the plot turns creepy when Morag starts meticulously planning every step and every decision regarding the household and especially Jamie's upbringing (Lizzie's little one).
Is Morag really willing to assist a primipara mother such as Lizzie or does she harbor a more sinister wish to fulfill the emptiness in her own frustrated life?
My rate:
The story portraits three VERY different characters, each one with a deep psychological issue that will interfere with the other two: In the first place we have Lizzie, raised by an unfit, careless mother who never got to truly love and appreciate her daughter. Lizzie will grow up lacking the confidence to stand by herself and claim her own independence throughout life. Thus she will play the perfect bait for a predator such as Morag.
In contrast, Morag, having failed being a mother herself she is now desperately seeking for the perfect child to provide her with what she calls her last chance to become a Gran and prove others that she can be a suitable grandma for Jamie. The search becomes a blinding obsession to control those around her, especially Lizzie, the needy orphan who's always attentive to carry out every instruction coming from knowledgeable Morag. But, has she ever considered something as valuable as measurement? That's something Morag never got know.
On the other side there's Markus, an uninterested husband and much less willing father, convinced that babies are a women's thing. He lives his life as the eternal bachelor, careless and over all absent. Parenthood was never in his plans, not even after becoming a dad himself, he miserably fails to protect mother and child from falling into sickly manipulation.
Markus, by neglecting both, partner and son confers Morag with the great opportunity of undertaking the role of mother and grandmother, and voilà everything fits perfectly. The relation between Lizzie and Morag fall into a game played by the needy and the provider and soon Morag's extreme fixation stifles Lizzie to a dangerous point.
I enjoyed reading about Morag, such a complex character; you never know what she is going to do next. She sees life in a very particular perspective difficult to understand for the average viewer. Why having a child is so important? Sometimes she plays the lovely lady who could be the most adorable granny, and next she becomes a frightening witch capable of the most despicable deeds.
The book reflects quite ordinary situations in which the strongest abuses the weakest, and to the same extent it happens in real life you don't know for sure who's who, moreover the story pictures Morag as someone not fully conscious of the lines she should not cross, therefore it makes it difficult to judge her as the villain. It also makes me think of how easy it is to accept too many favors that over a period of time you will be dragged into debt with someone you took for granted you shared a free friendship with. I like the way the author depicts all these emotional blackmailing and erratic behaviors individuals usually take too long to identify, and even more complicated to get rid of them in the right time.
Lizzie, on the other side, is the kind of a submissive person who doesn't even know how she ended up in such a mess. Unable to fend for herself, she was reduced to the minimum expression of herself, which is so exasperating at times that I'd like to shake her by the shoulders. This character makes me think of an aspect I'd like to mention, I loved the fact that the writer did not bother to disguise all motherhood strains a woman has to endure as to be presented as convenient and pleasant endeavors, I guess motherhood is usually overrated. Rather it clearly depicts the terrible difficulties that come along with having a child without prior careful planning. Well, Lizzie was no exception and she found herself trapped between not having time to work on a job nor being able to count on someone suitable to look after her baby, not to mention Markus who was not a father at all but rather a sheer donor.
As it usually occurs, it's the presence of the baby what confines the mother in a prison orchestrated (in this occasion) by Morag and backed up by Markus. As a personal account it actually amazes me how many women in the world are indeed willing to have a baby without realizing how vulnerable one can become. Suffice is to cast a quick glance around and spot the most prolific cases.
The end was fantastic, everyone got what they deserved. The author took her time to describe and connect all ideas, I pretty much liked the fact that she didn't rush to close up the story, and considered all aspects before reaching a full stop.
Once again, I enjoyed reading H. A. Leuschel's books. Thanks to her generosity of sharing her talent with me.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading and reviewing my new book. It's wonderful to see it featured on your lovely blog here :-)
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