I included this novel as part of my month of spooky reading and let me just say that it was full of surprises. Motherthing came recommended to me by my husband, and while he rarely steers me wrong in his recommendations, I had to wonder if this really fell into my month of spookiness because I found myself laughing quite a bit. Well, it was filled with dark humor and Abby’s musings, but as I read on, I soon realized that it was indeed a chilling read.

There are mother issues and then there is Motherthing. The novel is told from Abby’s perspective. She didn’t have the greatest childhood (or mother). She is married to the love of her life; however, his mother has her own demons that make her difficult. While Abby would have loved for her mother-in-law to love her, too, it just wasn’t going to happen. Laura is a special kind of woman, in life and after her death. With Abby’s mother-in-law haunting them, and Ralph succumbing to his grief and his own depressive nature, Abby is determined to try and rid them from the ghost of his mother.

I felt for Abby. I really did. She lacked a mother’s love, and she had a lot of love to give. While we are seeing everything happen through Abby’s perspective, it’s difficult not to feel for her, but at the same time, she scared the living daylights out of me.

Motherthing is filled with dysfunctional relationships. It is dark, it is humorous, and it is gruesome and scary. It was one of those novels that made me wonder how an author comes up with these ideas. It was a great book to start off my month of horror with.

*4 Stars