by Alice Sebold
First published 2007
Fifty-year-old artist's model Helen Knightly gives in to the temptation to smother her old, senile mother Clair. Freed from years of caregiving, Helen now grapples with the weight of her decision. As the hours tick by, Helen's memories of the past and fears for the future crowd in, leaving her torn between guilt and relief, love and hatred. This searing, fast-paced story explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, and the blurred line between compassion and violence.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-relationships, unreliable-narrator
291 pages · Paperback
Content warnings: mental-illness, violence