Thursday 19 March 2015

Adult Onset - Ann-Marie MacDonald

"Mary Rose McKinnon has two children with her partner Hilary and a fractured relationship with her mother Dolly; she also has issues with anger management and lives in fear of hurting the children and these feelings seem somehow rooted in a part of her childhood she has trouble remembering. 
Is Dolly - the kind of big personality who makes all Mary Rose's friends, and even waiters in coffee shops, exclaim 'I love your Mum!' - really harbouring a dark secret about what caused Mary Rose's childhood injuries, and is Mary Rose doomed to follow the same path with her own children?"

This was a very cleverly told story focussing on a woman and her relationship with the women around her. Mary-Rose's relationship with her partner, which is fractious at times following the births and adoptions of their children together, her relationship with her mother, and with her youngest child, her daughter. 

I think every woman who is married, has kids and has a mother can relate to each and every one of these relationships! Many women find that their relationship with their partner (male or female) changes once children arrive on the scene. There are many women out there who do not have the perfect relationship with their own mother, and I, being one of them, could relate completely to this. Whilst my own mother was never violent or abusive, (she was actually a fairly good mother), there are things that my own mother did that I have vowed to NEVER do to my own children, so to see Mary-Rose going through the exact same feelings as I have myself was very uncomfortable at times. Ann-Marie MacDonald however, captures the thoughts and feelings perfectly in her writing, and deals with some very sensitive issues in a very sensitive way. Despite feeling uncomfortable at times, I thoroughly enjoyed Adult Onset and will definitely be searching more of Ann-Marie MacDonald's work to add to my TBR pile!

Adult Onset is out now and you can get it here:


*I very kindly received an ARC from the publisher*

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