Published by Thomas Nelson on October 2014
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Suspense, Speculative
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My children have believed a lie about me for years and years. After all this time I can still feel their hurt in my heart. But the tether holding me to them is frayed from years of neglect . . . and I have to find a way to make my confession before it snaps.
But when the truth comes out, what other beasts will I unleash?
“Why do we lie to the children?” someone asked me once.
“To protect them,” I answered.
How terrible it is that they need protection from me.
Marina and Dylan have lived through loss. Twice. Once, when their mother killed herself when they were children. Second, when their father inexplicably wrecked his suburban in a construction zone. Both parents, gone under weird circumstances.
Marina is twenty. Dylan is sixteen and has suffered from a phobia of crowds or unfamiliar places since his mother’s death. As they begin to pick up the pieces to try to move forward, they discover that their parents lives had many secrets…secrets that are beginning to unravel.
Meanwhile, there’s something supernatural in the works behind the scenes. Though absent from this life, Marina and Dylan’s parents are entirely absent from the story. They’re watching on somehow, influencing the events in some way—especially their mother. Healy never really develops this theme or offers a resolution, but it’s all done in her typical mysterious way.
It took me about fifty pages to really get into Motherless and follow where it was going. It’s because, in Motherless, Erin Healy does tend to leave the supernatural unexplained. It takes a while of reading for your mind to fully integrate into the story world. The pace is also more personal and relaxed—more character driven than action driven, but all centering on the mystery behind their mother’s death.
It’s a beautiful story of brokenness, loss, redemption, and grace that’ll leave you spellbound. The writing is superb. The pacing is perfect for her story. However, I will say this: Healy’s writing style is not for everyone. Those of you wishing for a fast-paced mile-a-minute thriller are going to have to shift gears into a slower-paced cerebral character-driven mystery or else pass it up.
As the pages come to an end, you’ll be put right into the middle of the mystery—there’s no way you can guess this ending. It’s a wonderful book that’ll keep you thinking about the dangerous power of secrecy long after you turn the final page.
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