Motherthing Audiobook By Ainslie Hogarth cover art

Motherthing

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Motherthing

By: Ainslie Hogarth
Narrated by: Adina Verson
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About this listen

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A darkly funny take on mothers and daughters, about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law.

“A quirky, gruesome, utterly original feminist horror experience.”—The New York Times Book Review

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 with her is hellish.

When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: 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…

©2022 Ainslie Hogarth (P)2022 Random House Audio
Ghosts Gothic Haunted Scary Suspense
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Critic reviews

A New York Times Notable Book the Year • A Cosmopolitan Best Horror Book of All Time • A New York Times Editors’ Choice

“A quirky, gruesome, utterly original feminist horror experience.”The New York Times Book Review

“Creepy, hysterical, emotionally complex.”The New York Times, 7 Audiobooks to Listen to Now

“This haunting is deliberate, unsettling, and reads like the sensation you get after licking a battery—sharp and bitter but intriguing. Turn to it when you want something different, when you’re done with the traditional ghost story and need something unusual to sink your teeth into.”The Big Thrill

What listeners say about Motherthing

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Oddly entertaining

Well written, slightly disturbing and not for those sensitive to vulgarity. But imaginative and laugh out loud funny in some parts.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely gross and entrancing

This book was so creepy and interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I ended up listening to the whole thing in one sitting, it’s delightfully deranged

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I just don’t know . . .

So, here’s the deal - I like dark comedies. I like unreliable narrators. But this story just has me so confused on so many levels. I suppose it is safest to say that I have a love hate relationship with it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Macabre Unethical Unreliable Narrator

This novel will suck you in. You’ll believe Abby is likable and an Everywomen. By time the story unfolds, it’s too late. You’ll be rooting for a villain. Enjoy the ride but don’t go searching for a deeper lesson. This is a work of fluff,well written but ultimately meaningless drivel.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Certainly unique

I was on a Pinterest rabbit hole looking for SOMETHING to make me feel SOMETHING. This book was uh…as refreshing as these topics can be! Unexpectedly wild yet also heartfelt! Hard to explain but certainly worth your time! Fantastic narration too!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Rhythmically Unsettling

I’ll agree with other reviews that this isn’t exactly as much horror as I expected, but that doesn’t make it anything other than it’s own kind of good. The writing is so mesmerizing and rhythmic. I loved the way the narration got more unhinged as time went on. It felt like I had a front row seat to her unraveling psyche.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Triggering is an understatement

OMG, I should have booked some therapy or yoga or an exorcism before reading this.

The writing is genius; the plot is traumatizing. Not exaggerating here. Triggering is an understatement.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Unhinged, yes! Horror? No…

Well. That this nothing like I expected 😂 ok. Maybe a little…I did expect unhinged, which I’ve been enjoying so much lately. But I wouldn’t call this horror, like, at all. So I was disappointed in the barely there “ghost story”. However, as several reviews mention, it was definitely giving Ottessa Moshfegh. It was honest, gross, shocking, funny, dark, sweet, and provocative. It’s hard for me to rate it because part of me wants to throw 5⭐️ at it. But I can’t ignore the fact that this is sold as horror and is definitely more Unghinged girl lit fic. Sooo 4.75 it is! Cause I really enjoyed the ride!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ha! What did I just read? Actually, I love it.

I have to say that I was intrigued by the title and the cover of this book. 5 stars for both. It is a most unusual read. Well-written and quite a page-turner as well. Twists in the plot. I can't decide which or how many of the characters are sane or looney. Ms. Hogarth does keep us guessing. I must read it again, I think. The only thing about the audible version is that the narrator goes really fast. It's the first time I have had to slow down the narration just a bit. Then, it was fine. I think I might give this book 5 stars after a second read. I'm just so very surprised! Caught me off guard.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Monster-in-law indeed

I knew almost immediately that I was going to like this book. I enjoyed it immensely. As usual, I judged this book by the cover before hitting that request button on NetGalley. I mean who wouldn’t be drawn in by that cover? It’s grayscale on Kindle, of course, but the physical cover is boldly colored and resembles a comic book.

Because I hadn’t finished reading this book before the publishing date, I picked up the audiobook during the last Audible sale and read along with it. Top notch performance from narrator Adina Verson.

Content warning: suicide, depression, mental illness. Probably others, but those are the big ones.

I have heard of the dreaded monster-in-law, but having never been married (and not met many past partners’ mothers), I have not had the (dis)pleasure of experiencing one. This book takes that concept and expands it beyond the grave. That said, this is not a horror book as I expected. This is more a psychological horror, the monsters being grief, depression, and trauma. The story follows the lives of Ralph and Abby Lamb, who move in with Ralph’s mother to care for her just before she commits suicide. Naturally Ralph is consumed by grief and falls into a deep depression, all the while insisting that his mother is still alive and in the house. There are some disturbing scenes, plenty of weirdness, and lots of laugh out loud moments. But that may just be my dark sense of humor.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. This was my first Ainslie Hogarth book, but it won’t be my last. I love her writing style. It’s easy to read, flows well, and I love the dialog. The book is full of these little conversations between the main character and her husband and they’re just delightful. Then again, I tend to read more extreme horror and my sense of humor is a little warped, so the idea of a conversation about brown eyes resembling pools of diarrhea seems natural and fun.

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