Reviewed by Emma Crowley
When Hope’s only son Paul met and married Edie, Hope was delighted that he had found love and was settling down to make his own family. Hope has loved bringing up her own child, and is happy to step in and help out now and again – but is always worried about overstepping the line between grandmother and mother.
Edie was hoping that having children with Paul would fulfil her as much as her busy job as a barrister has. But the reality is far from her dream. And with her mother-in-law Hope constantly poking her nose in where it’s not wanted, she finds herself frustrated and alone.
Both women could be each other’s greatest ally, but both have secrets that could ruin their relationship. Secrets neither wants Paul to uncover…
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster UK via NetGalley for my copy of The Daughter in Law to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
I don’t know how I let it happen but it’s been four years since I last read a book by Fanny Blake and I can’t fathom why because this new book, The Daughter -in-Law, was a great read, a real page turner that I devoured in great big chunks when time allowed. Fanny has a unique writing flair that draws you in from the very beginning and keeps you entranced until the very end. I couldn’t be further removed from the situations the main characters Edie and Hope find themselves in but it’s testament to the terrifically strong writing and the brilliant, well presented and observed viewpoints of all that I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story from the first word until the last.
The Daughter-in-Law provides the reader with astute observations of the dynamics of one family where emotions run high and guarded secrets are about to be exposed. I’m sure many women reading this book will be nodding along at certain situations and comments/statements that are made throughout the story or else they’ll find themselves saying god I feel the exact same way about my mother-in-law or vice versa.
The story opens as Hope finds herself on holiday with her son Paul, his wife Edie and their two very young children Betty and Hazel. From the outset tensions are high between mother and daughter-in-law with of course Paul oblivious or pretending to not notice the deep sense of unease between the two women. Hope has tried everything ever since Paul and Edie got together but the distance between them widens instead of narrows and the more she tries the worse the relationship gets. I thought only for her two beloved grandchildren Hope would have just stopped making an effort altogether and I wouldn’t have blamed her one bit. After all, if you keep trying over and over and then time and time again you come against a brick wall and get no positive response, really how long can you keep going for?
The group return from holiday and we follow them over the course of several months where things are about to take a dramatic turn. From the outset, I couldn’t really see what Hope had done wrong and thought Edie just took an instant dislike to her but the further the story develops I found that Edie had so many of her own issues and insecurities despite her high powered job and the persona that she portrayed that maybe she was in fact jealous of the fact that Hope was strong, steadfast and had everything together. But Hope too hides her own secrets and as she continues to try and build bridges are they structures tentatively in place about to come crashing down around her.
Well, what can I say about Edie she really got me riled up as I am sure the same will be felt by many readers. She is an extremely divisive character and the more you read the chapters from her viewpoint you find yourself turning against her a bit. Why, because she doesn’t conform to the norm of what society views a mother to be, in how they are supposed to act, feel and care for their children and their families. I thought Hope could see through Edie and that didn’t help the fact they really became as if they were on opposing sides in a war and not at all on the same wavelength. If Edie had been more honest and open instead of being so all consumed in her own personal issues and her own desires maybe the women could have found some common ground and Edie would have realised that Hope was human too and she could have perhaps helped her work though her feelings. I did feel sympathy and empathy for both women for what they were going through individually and as a family unit but as they are both hiding a lifetime of secrets so no one will be hurt will it just all ultimately cause more damage than the good they had intended?
Edie is intimidating and determined but I found her to be foolish and just pure careless in her actions. Her work as a barrister fulfils her whereas motherhood and marriage do not and this becomes painfully apparent the further the story unfolds and you find yourself wanting to give her a good shake. Yet at the same time the way she feels and why she feels that way is presented in such a clear and concise way that at times you can’t find a way to argue with what she is saying. I’m grateful to Fanny Blake for not coming down on one women’s side or the other and even with the ending I felt the same way. It was satisfying but still you were left with that little niggling feeling could things have been different or maybe it’s the selfish part in me as a reader that wanted things to be simple and clear cut whereas life really isn’t always that way.
Edie feels as if Hope views her as an inadequate mother when in reality all Hope wants to do is help in any small way she can. The two little girls mean so much to her but Edie views her intentions as being interfering and meddling where Hope is not wanted. I think Edie’s own insecurities and feelings of guilt, loneliness and helplessness only fuelled the fire in her hatred of Hope. I reluctantly use the word hatred for it is very strong but that’s how her demeanour, her words and actions came across several times.
Initially, I felt she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. To maintain the high flying career as a barrister and to have a family life but then the more we delve deeper in to the heart and mind of Edie you realise she can’t juggle both and that one seems to be inching ahead of the other. She is a risk taker and the constant sense of the danger of discovery regarding her secret is apparent with every turn of the page and to be honest I wanted her little mystery to come to the fore so that lies and deceit might fuel some rage in Paul and equally Hope. To me Paul seemed very passive and at total odds to Edie. I wondered what common ground they had found in the first place that brought them together?
The entire book was very well plotted and I loved that each chapter went back and forth between each of the two women and as new characters are introduced around the mid-way point an entirely different can of worms is opened up in addition to the trials and tribulations already ongoing. This added even more drama with plenty of shocks and revelations forthcoming and a really surprising epiphany that I didn’t see coming which deeply affected the family dynamics even further. So much so that it had me turning the pages even quicker than I had been so eager was I to get to the conclusion to see how things would turn out. Given all that occurred I questioned whether any form of happiness, acceptance or contentment could be found?
The Daughter-in-Law was a fantastic read which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s full of raw emotions, family secrets and drama which all make for a very compelling read which I believe would be ideal for a book club as Edie is certainly a very divisive character who will inspire much debate. In fact, the themes, arguments and problems here will all arouse many questions which do not have a definitive answer. I think that’s why I enjoyed the book so much apart from the fact the writing was brilliant and straight to the point but also the fact that as a reader your opinion as to whose side you are on sways back and forth several times over and even by the end I still didn’t come down firmly on one woman’s side over the other. You are constantly asking yourself what would you do and to be honest I still don’t have a solid answer. As we gain such a real sense of the characters inner feelings I think I identified and empathised with both Hope and Edie and that’s why I also found it so difficult to choose between them. I’m not sure was I even meant to by the end given such a well rounded and balanced stance was given. No doubt about it this book will provoke much discussion and I certainly won’t be leaving it as long to read anything by this wonderfully talented author in the future. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this excellent family drama.
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