The Perfect Mother - Softcover

Molloy, Aimee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062845853 ISBN 13: 9780062845856

Publisher: Harper Large Print, 2018

Synopsis

A night out -- a few hours of fun.

What could possibly go wrong?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

"The Perfect Mother is a gripping page-turner that explores the pressures of modern motherhood as well as a mother's absolute worst nightmare. At once wonderfully nuanced and compulsively readable, it keeps you guessing at every moment, up until the very end. I could not be prouder to be bringing this thriller to the big screen."--Kerry Washington

Some people are so good at making perfect look easy.

They call themselves the May Mothers--a collection of new moms who gave birth in the same month. Twice a week, with strollers in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, seeking refuge from the isolation of new motherhood; sharing the fears, joys, and anxieties of their new child-centered lives.

When the group's members agree to meet for drinks at a hip local bar, they have in mind a casual evening of fun, a brief break from their daily routine. But on this sultry Fourth of July night during the hottest summer in Brooklyn's history, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but the May Mothers insisted that everything would be fine. Now Midas is missing, the police are asking disturbing questions, and Winnie's very private life has become fodder for a ravenous media.

Though none of the other members in the group is close to the reserved Winnie, three of them will go to increasingly risky lengths to help her find her son. And as the police bungle the investigation and the media begin to scrutinize the mothers in the days after Midas goes missing, damaging secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are formed and fractured.

Unfolding over the course of thirteen fraught days and culminating in an exquisite and unexpected twist, The Perfect Mother is the perfect book for our times--a nuanced and addictively readable story that exposes the truth of modern mothers' lives as it explores the power of an ideal that is based on a lie.

About this title

Review

"I raced through The Perfect Mother, desperate to find out what would happen. Both the writing and the characterization are excellent, and it was so easy to identify with these women and the pressure they are under. I absolutely loved it--a true page turner!"--B.A. Paris, author of The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors

"A riveting psychological thriller that takes a sharp, insightful look at motherhood, The Perfect Mother explores the pressures, the hopes, the fears, and the secrets between a group of friends who realize how little they know one another when a crisis strikes. A fast-paced, twisty, engrossing read--I loved it!"--Megan Miranda, author of All the Missing Girls

"A captivating and deeply insightful page-turner, The Perfect Mother is both a riveting mystery and a satisfyingly sharp social commentary about what it means to be a good mother."--Kimberly McCreight, author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

"For a charmed group of new moms, a girls' night out ends in one mother's worst nightmare. In twist after masterful twist, secrets and lies begin to unravel; The Perfect Mother is a tense and riveting page turner with an ending you won't see coming."--Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

"Molloy, a master of clever misdirection, deftly explores the expectations, insecurities, and endless judgement that accompany motherhood in this fast-paced thriller featuring a bevy of strong, smart, and realistically flawed women who, refreshingly, have each other's backs when it counts the most. Mesmerizing."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"For lovers of cunning narrative suspense in the vein of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, this debut novel.... Will keep readers turning the pages."--Library Journal, starred review

[A] promising first novel.... The mystery of Midas's disappearance may be the skeleton on which Molloy's plot hangs, but it's her characters' anxieties that give the story life and substance.... Her clever narrative structure heightens tension while spotlighting the solitary struggles of motherhood."--Publishers Weekly

"Readers who can't get enough of suburban suspense along the lines of Liane Moriarty B. A. Paris will want to give this a try."--Booklist

"An electrifying thriller--and a subtle, savvy skewering of the endless expectations of modern motherhood."--People, Book of the Week

"Impressive and satisfying.... This gripping and fresh novel will provoke as much thought as it does excitement."--BookPage

From the Back Cover

They call themselves the May Mothers--a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn's Prospect Park for some much-needed adult time.

When the women go out for drinks at a hip neighborhood bar, they're looking for a fun break from their daily routine. But on this hot Fourth of July night, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but her fellow May Mothers insisted everything would be fine. Now he is missing. What follows is a heart-pounding race to find Midas, during which secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are destroyed.

Thirteen days. An unexpected twist.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Large Print
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0062845853
• ISBN 13: 9780062845856
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464