Infinitely readable, this novel tries to reflect the upheaval that motherhood brings: impacts on the self, the couple, expectations and the myriad of judgements are all covered. The story seems to be a mediation of what went wrong between the couple after they have children, the details of their first baby mostly used as evidence of the loss of his love and her own ineptitude. Yet, her ultimate bonding with her second child, a sort of falling-in-love, was a mirror image of what happened between her husband and daughter. The author did a good job of placing primacy on her partner, using the 2nd person throughout the book, almost like an extended letter. And as her life widens to encompass her new relationship with her son, the use of 'You' drastically slips away: very much like how new boundaries are drawn after parenthood: you tell each other you won't change, that you'll stay the most important person, but things change without your control. welcome to motherhood.

But that wouldn't sell a book so we are told that Violet, the first born, is a devil in training. A biter (witnessed by the mother-in-law), a bully (evidenced by the hair clippings in her pocket), a psychopath (she maybe trips a playmate at the top of a slide and he falls to his death). When the narrator's second born dies, grief swallows her and you can't know if she's a reliable narrator (except for the burns the hospital treats; another giveaway) The book goes back to it's heavy use of 'You' as her husband resumes his place as her primary anchor and she acts in ways to please him, even while she distances herself from her daughter. But he's already moved on, to a new family. A terrible betrayal.

I guess this is where the book reveals its weakness. Is it about a doomed romance like the framing leads you to believe, or is it a story about mothers and daughter like the interludes of her mother and her grandmother's lives. The author uses that conflicted history to explain away all problems with Violet and the narrator finally comes to a place of understanding and compassion for her daughter. Except no. there was evidence all along the way; the evidence was never in question, the way an unreliable narrator is. The book tells you not to worry, with absolutely nothing to back that up. It's a bait and switch but I doubt anyone fell for the bait. Ultimately, 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' did the whole motherhood intersecting with psychological drama thing so much better.