The Good Mother by Karen Osman

The Good Mother by Karen Osman
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Catherine fills her hours with volunteer work so when the opportunity to take part in a pen pal program with prison inmates she finds herself signing up. Catherine’s chosen inmate has been in prison for just over a decade for murder so she’s a bit hesitant on what to say to him but feels it’s her duty to try to help him reform. She decides this little project is not one to discuss with her husband and keeps the letters to herself as they come.

Kate is a young mother with two beautiful little girls that simply married and started her family too young and now feels she does for everyone but herself. She and her husband have had their share of disagreements over finances, the children and lack of time with one another just like other young couples so when Kate sees an opportunity to get out and take a writing class she jumps on the chance to just have a bit of free time for herself.

Alison is off to university and learning how to live on her own and balance her studies and college life. She’s struggling a bit keeping up with the demands and finding it completely different than what she imagined university life would be. When Alison finds one of her professors taking a special interest in her she finds herself jumping at the chance to spend time with him no matter how wrong it may be and that they need to hide seeing one another.

The Good Mother by Karen Osman is a book that is told by switching the point of view between the three characters, Catherine, Kate and Alison with each chapter. Each story being told is completely different from one another and beginning the book it’s hard to see what any of them will ever have in common other than all three seem to have some sort of secret in their lives.

I have to say while I enjoyed the author’s writing and thought the ending was great with how everything ends up tied together this was one that was such a slow build that sometimes it was in danger of losing my attention. There are very small clues that lead to the explosive ending that one could pick up but other than that it lacked any huge twists or turns and just brought the reader to the explanation at the end. So while this one had good writing and a good ending I myself would have preferred something a bit more in the middle to really grab me and keep me on the edge of my seat leaving me to rate this one at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.