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A review by christajls
Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly
3.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
I am of two minds about this book. I wanted to review it because it claimed to be for fans of Gone Girl – which I really enjoyed last year. And I think that claim rings true. But I also had a number of problems with some of the characters and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I had hoped.
Let’s start with the mystery as it is the real strength of this novel. Lisa is a busy working mother. There’s always a million things on her mind and it feels like life never stops. I’m sure we can all relate – even if we don’t have children. But as a result of how busy she is, she ends up losing track of her friend’s child at a time when a serial rapist is on the loose. Can you imagine the guilt? I don’t know if I could cope with that.
This story is filled with lots of great surprises and twists and the mystery itself is really interesting and keeps you guessing. I especially loved the short, interspersed chapters from the perspective of the kidnapper/rapist. They were so creepy and very well done. I think that Paula Daly did an excellent job alternating the points of view between Lisa and the Detective on the case, Joanne. I never got bored of one, or found myself wishing it would get back to the other. And I was definitely surprised at the end. Not at all what I was expecting!
So then what was the problem? To put it simply, the female characters. Particularly Lisa and Joanne.
Let’s start with Lisa. Aren’t we tired of this character? This middle class woman who “has it all” and says that she’s happy but at every turn bemoans her unlucky state regarding her house, husband, kids, job etc. She’s a woman who makes her own problems. Who seems to thrive off her own unhappiness. A well off woman who I just don’t feel any pity for. And maybe I’m not supposed to. But this character has been done to death. She’s the same character that’s popped up in a number of books I’ve read recently – Gone Girl, Shine Shine Shine, The Dinner etc. I’m tired of this character. I want to read about women who are confident (note that confidence is not the same as stuck up or boastful). Who don’t feel a sense of resentment toward Every. Single. Person. they come across. I want to read about people who are a) more complex than that and b) better than that. Because I think most women are.
Joanne was a bit of a stereotype as well. Perpetually single, always working. I don’t think she was nearly as fleshed out as she could have been and as a result her character felt a bit flat. The only defining characteristic I could tell you about her is that she has a 36GG cup size. No that wasn’t a typo. There are two ‘Gs’ there. And throughout the kidnapping of this thirteen year old girl we get snippets of her wanting to have a breast reduction surgery. It felt very strange and out of place. All the other women in this book were more secondary characters – but every single one of them was described as “sad-looking”, or attention seekers, or at times a little insane. Not a single positive, or semi-positive female character in a book full of women, written by a woman.
Recommendation: I think this is a fun read for mystery lovers, and the pages fly by as you get wrapped up in the story. But for me the female characters felt tired and stereotypical and I just wanted something different.
I am of two minds about this book. I wanted to review it because it claimed to be for fans of Gone Girl – which I really enjoyed last year. And I think that claim rings true. But I also had a number of problems with some of the characters and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I had hoped.
Let’s start with the mystery as it is the real strength of this novel. Lisa is a busy working mother. There’s always a million things on her mind and it feels like life never stops. I’m sure we can all relate – even if we don’t have children. But as a result of how busy she is, she ends up losing track of her friend’s child at a time when a serial rapist is on the loose. Can you imagine the guilt? I don’t know if I could cope with that.
This story is filled with lots of great surprises and twists and the mystery itself is really interesting and keeps you guessing. I especially loved the short, interspersed chapters from the perspective of the kidnapper/rapist. They were so creepy and very well done. I think that Paula Daly did an excellent job alternating the points of view between Lisa and the Detective on the case, Joanne. I never got bored of one, or found myself wishing it would get back to the other. And I was definitely surprised at the end. Not at all what I was expecting!
So then what was the problem? To put it simply, the female characters. Particularly Lisa and Joanne.
Let’s start with Lisa. Aren’t we tired of this character? This middle class woman who “has it all” and says that she’s happy but at every turn bemoans her unlucky state regarding her house, husband, kids, job etc. She’s a woman who makes her own problems. Who seems to thrive off her own unhappiness. A well off woman who I just don’t feel any pity for. And maybe I’m not supposed to. But this character has been done to death. She’s the same character that’s popped up in a number of books I’ve read recently – Gone Girl, Shine Shine Shine, The Dinner etc. I’m tired of this character. I want to read about women who are confident (note that confidence is not the same as stuck up or boastful). Who don’t feel a sense of resentment toward Every. Single. Person. they come across. I want to read about people who are a) more complex than that and b) better than that. Because I think most women are.
Joanne was a bit of a stereotype as well. Perpetually single, always working. I don’t think she was nearly as fleshed out as she could have been and as a result her character felt a bit flat. The only defining characteristic I could tell you about her is that she has a 36GG cup size. No that wasn’t a typo. There are two ‘Gs’ there. And throughout the kidnapping of this thirteen year old girl we get snippets of her wanting to have a breast reduction surgery. It felt very strange and out of place. All the other women in this book were more secondary characters – but every single one of them was described as “sad-looking”, or attention seekers, or at times a little insane. Not a single positive, or semi-positive female character in a book full of women, written by a woman.
Recommendation: I think this is a fun read for mystery lovers, and the pages fly by as you get wrapped up in the story. But for me the female characters felt tired and stereotypical and I just wanted something different.