A Book A Week

What are the lengths you would go to in protecting your family? I'd walk the ends of the earth to make sure my family and friends are okay. When you think about the situations you may encounter, you might think of driving at late hours, lending/spending money, or even just being an open ear to listen. But what about things that are a little bit more morally ambiguous? What secrets would you keep? What laws would you break? How far is too far? In her latest thriller Mother May I, Joshilyn Jackson grapples with that question. 

As a mother of three, Bree rarely gets any quiet time. As she wakes up early in the morning, her two teenage daughters, infant son, and husband are all still asleep. This is her moment, a quiet time to just be with her thoughts, uninterrupted. As Bree stares out of the bedroom window, her solace is suddenly broken, giving way to first confusion and then terror. Staring back at her, just on the other side of the glass is a witch. The witch has all the notable features, wrinkled skin, wiry grey hair, cloaked in black, a look of pure menace upon her face. Hesitant to believe what she's seeing, Bree quickly glances away and back. In that instant, the witch is gone, like the remnants of a nightmare that managed a brief escape from the world of dreams. 

That odd occurrence stays with Bree as she begins her day. She takes her daughters to school, her infant in hand, and tries to forget the scare that began her morning. But she sees the witch again, this time in the parking lot of the school. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. Bree turns away from her infant son for just a moment, distracted by the goings-on at the school. That's all it takes. When she turns back around, her son is gone. Just as panic sets in, she gets the call. The unmistakable voice of the witch is on the other line. She has her son, and Bree will do whatever she asks to get him back. 

There's something both terrifying and relatable to any story involving child abduction. Recent thrillers like Adrian McKinty's The Chain and C.J. Tudor's The Other People have used a kidnapping to propel their stories, but Joshilyn Jackson takes things a step further. Mother May I sees the author not only explore the lengths a mother is willing to go to save her child but also forces that same character to come to terms with her own place in the world. Her privilege, marriage, and troubled past all come into question, adding depth to the novel that takes it beyond the typical thriller. I had the privilege of listening to the audio version of the book, a gift from the publisher, narrated by the author herself. The same passion and suspense that Jackson imbues in her writing come forth in her narration. Mother May I is everything I want from a thriller, suspenseful, quick to read, and with just enough extra depth to keep you thinking about it after you finish. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 14)