#BlogTour ‘Mother’ by Laura Jarratt

About the book…

Two Girls. One Chance.

When Lizzie’s car crashes with her two daughters inside, she faces a terrible choice. And when she recovers from her injuries, she has to deal with the impact of that tragedy as well as the police investigation into it.

As Lizzie and her family struggle to come to terms with the events of that night, things take an even darker turn. Just what did happen on that remote country road? Who is responsible? And can the family get through this together…Or will the truth finally tear them apart?

A stunning, deeply emotional and beautifully realised cross between SOPHIE’S CHOICE and DAUGHTER

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the blogtour invite and Trapeze for the e-arc of ‘Mother’ by Laura Jarratt

‘Mother’  is out from April 2nd in ebook format from all good booksellers!

This is an interesting read, ostensibly about a car crash which leaves a mother choosing between her two daughters in the most extreme of circumstances, however, it is also a multi layered, dual narrative on what it means to be a parent.

Biological and adopted daughters , Portia and Becca are at the mercy of a flashpoint decision against unthinkable odds, and the aftermath of the crash is examined in close detail as mother, Lizzie, pulls herself to pieces trying to rationalise what she has done.

The return home from a holiday should be a joyous occasion, but for Lizzie she is dreading facing her husband,Dan, who insisted she should wait for him to drive her home. However, taking the chance to spend more ‘me time’ with her daughters, Lizzie drags out their idyllic stay and drives home herself. A curve taken at speed results in her car going over a cliff and a race against time to free herself in order to reach her daughters.

A decision made against the clock, in an isolated lake has massive repercussions as suspense mounts by the page , heading towards the reveal of which girl Lizzie saved.

But was this crash as instinctive and innocent as it sounds?

Both Lizzie and Dan are in positions as defence lawyers and barristers where there are plenty of people who would like to get revenge on what they might feel is the ‘wrong’ verdict.

As the forensic details build up a case for this not being a complete accident, the guilt and self reproach that Lizzie berates herself escalates . Dealing with the grief process as well as physical recuperation, let alone the circumstances under which she has lost one of her daughters becomes secondary to finding out exactly what happened and why.

Whilst Lizzie pulls herself apart in order to put herself back together again, she and Dan have to examine the deep cracks within their relationship as well as working towards an understanding of how culpable either, or both of them, is for their daughter’s death.

The discussions around how, and why, Lizzie and Dan became parents is so painful to read, their pain jumps off the page which only makes their loss more potent and destructive. The answers to the what happened, and why, are nit clear cut and further explore whether our motivations to become parents are truly altruistic, or are driven by a society which values it’s propagation more than the toll on individuals .

It’s a really interesting book with lots of narrative twists and turns to keep the most keen eyed reader engaged, and it deals with trauma, child loss, infertility and mental health in an unflinching yet compassionate way .

Laura Jarratt is a new to me author, but I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

About the author…

Laura Jarratt was born in Salford in the 1970s, the decade fashion should really forget. She remains mentally scarred from the numerous childhood photos of her in very bad clothes, which she blames for her present aversion to having her picture taken. Despite being good at English, Classics and Modern Foreign Languages, she accidentally studied Microbiology at university and then went on to work in education. Laura escaped the city as soon as possible as she becomes claustrophobic if not surrounded by enough green. Concrete just does not do it for her.

She’s lived throughout the UK but came home to the North West where she is currently owned by Henry, a ginger cat without a tail, who holds the family in thrall

Links-http://www.laurajarratt.com/

Twitter @laurajarratt @Tr4cyF3nt0n @TrapezeBooks