Motherthing
She’s dead in the basement. And she’s refusing to leave…
When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn’t interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life in her home is hellish.
When Laura takes her own life, Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura’s hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king…
new york times best book of the year • cbc best book of the year • kobo Best book of the year • belletrist book club pick • indie next pick • cosmopolitan best horror novel of all time • nylon must-read • harper’s bazaar best book spooky season • buzzfeed best book halloween
“A Quirky, gruesome, utterly original feminist horror experience.”
— The New York Times Book Review
“Profane, insane, hilarious, disgusting—and unexpectedly moving.”
— Kirkus (starred review)
“a masterfully crafted horror novel that’s by turns humorous and deeply unsettling…This dark domestic drama packs a punch.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Artfully unspooling the protagonist’s deterioration at a nearly imperceptible pace, Hogarth creates a brutal, bloody conclusion that is equal parts surprising and inevitable.”
— Quill and Quire
“Filled with sharp, crackling sentences, which bend variously sinister, humorous and sad, Ainslie Hogarth’s new novel is a stunner. Like Mona Awad’s Bunny or Otessa Moshfegh’s Eileen, Motherthing is a fabulous, frightening story built from fine, fine prose.”
— Laird Hunt, author of ZORRIE
“This novel is bursting with smart, provocative, heart-breaking things to say about the nature of grief and its ability to take up just as much—if not more—physical space than the actual person lost. MOTHERTHING is gory and irreverent and totally irresistible—I can’t wait to see what Hogarth spooks us with, next.”
— Courtney Maum, author of TOUCH and COSTALEGRE
“Motherthing is a smart, archly told, hallucinatory book about mothers, daughters, trauma, and the burden of emotional labour…With its dizzying spiral of toxic relationships, deep sadness, and grand guignol, Ainslie Hogarth's first adult novel is simply impossible to put down.”
— Ally Wilkes, author of ALL THE WHITE SPACES
“Quirky, unexpected, and charming, Motherthing uses all the right ingredients combined in equal measure to ensure a delicious experience. Highly recommend.”
— Mystery and Suspense Magazine
About Ainslie
Ainslie Hogarth is the author of four novels. She lives in Canada.
