A GOOD MOTHER by Michelle Dunne

4* Sad, but a very good read with sooo many that deserved their comeuppance.

This is my 2nd read by this author, and tbh, the title didn't fill me with that much enthusiasm, but her previous book was a very decent read, so I dived in without reading more than the NG blurb. Which enhanced my reading experience.

This is a sad, at times brutal book, which I wasn't expecting. I mean, the sadness, yes, but not the DA - I do think the book needs a warning about that, as it was aimed at an entire family, with minors, and with physical brutality and psychological games. It's no wonder that one of the progeny ended up the psychopath they were. And, I was pissed off that the perpetrator, yes, he lost his career, his reputation (faux, worked at much like an influencer does) and kids, otherwise got off pretty scot-free, able to rebuild a career, idc, but not without a grey cloud. He really, really deserved more punishment for the DA.

Ht actions led to the saddest event of this tale, although  - trying not to spoiler here - because it was all so avoidable if only someone had had the courage to do the right theing, especially with the support they had, and had had for a very, very long time. Were they broken? Yes, but there's a certain instinct if you're a *hidden noun* and that this person allowed said instinct to be silenced because of conditioning, was the second saddest thing. 

Was the story believable? Yes, because it's set in 2025, with social media  - in part responsible for some nastier aspects of the tale; with skewed values; with optics that ruin lives; with CCTV that ultimately unmasked the killer; with a poverty divide that felt real (although I didn't quite get how everyone could afford to live where they did, or why some hadn't traded up); with a podcaster whose addition was a spot of pure genius; with blackmail; with an incel - and possibly worse - in the making; and with Mean Girls. I wish the latter two could've gotten their comeuppance, because those individuals are only going to propagate more of the same when they're parents. 

The ending was low-key icing on a cake, believable and satisfying. And had dignity that the killer absolutely didn't deserve. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.

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