The Mother
Published on 7. April 2016
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-4472-9445-0 (ISBN)
Description
Yvvette Edwards' second novel, The Mother, tells Marcia's story.
Today, Marcia is heading to the Old Bailey. She's going there to do something no mother should ever have to do: to attend the trial of the boy accused of her son's murder.
She's not meant to be that woman; Ryan, her son, wasn't that kind of boy. But Tyson Manley is that kind of a boy and, as his trial unfolds, it becomes clear that it's his girlfriend Sweetie who has the answers Marcia so badly needs and who can - perhaps - offer Marcia some kind of hope for the future. But Sweetie is as scared of Tyson as Ryan should have been and, as Marcia's learned the hard way, nothing's certain. Not any more.
Somehow I am stronger. Where it has come from exactly I cannot say, but it is to do with hope, it is to do with light . . .
Today, Marcia is heading to the Old Bailey. She's going there to do something no mother should ever have to do: to attend the trial of the boy accused of her son's murder.
She's not meant to be that woman; Ryan, her son, wasn't that kind of boy. But Tyson Manley is that kind of a boy and, as his trial unfolds, it becomes clear that it's his girlfriend Sweetie who has the answers Marcia so badly needs and who can - perhaps - offer Marcia some kind of hope for the future. But Sweetie is as scared of Tyson as Ryan should have been and, as Marcia's learned the hard way, nothing's certain. Not any more.
Somehow I am stronger. Where it has come from exactly I cannot say, but it is to do with hope, it is to do with light . . .
Reviews / Votes
As emotionally satisfying as it is simply constructed, The Mother tells the tale of every woman's worst nightmare: losing a child, then having to face in court the man accused of murdering that child * Mail on Sunday Event Magazine * Skilfully plotted and heart-wrenching * Stylist * A compelling novel that gets into the head of a mother attending the trial of the boy accused of murdering her son. Her story gathers momentum and tension until the final verdict * Woman & Home * A powerful book that will cut you to the quick * Sun * Thrilling, tense and poignant * Heat * A harrowing tale of a mother's grief where nothing is certain * Essentials Magazine * Love, loss, pain, race, poverty, abuse and redemption are all beautifully played out in Edwards' novel about a mother struggling to not just 'remain alive, but live.' Edwards' story moves us in and out of a courtroom and into the heart of human suffering and ultimate strength * Naseem Rakha, author of The Crying Tree * A wonderfully vivid and arresting portrait of a mother facing up to the ultimate horror * Scotsman Magazine * A close, vivid portrait of a mother's unrelenting mission to avoid anger and blame, instead finding real justice and necessary closure * Publishers' Weekly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
491 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4472-9445-0 (9781447294450)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Yvvette Edwards lives in London. Her first novel, A Cupboard Full of Coats, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. The Mother is her second novel.