From acclaimed storyteller Jacquelyn Mitchard comes a powerful, emotionally charged novel of family, redemption and a mother’s love.
What do you do when the person you love best becomes unrecognisable to you? For Thea, the answer is simple and agonising: you keep loving him somehow.
Stefan was just seventeen when he went to prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Belinda, a crime he has no memory of committing. Three years later, he’s released to a world that refuses to let him move on. Belinda’s mother, once Thea’s good friend, galvanises the community to rally against him. Neighbours, employers, even some members of Thea’s own family turn away.
Meanwhile Thea struggles to understand her only son and begins to suspect darker forces are at play. If there is so much she never knew about Stefan, what other hidden secrets has she yet to uncover – especially the shocking truth about the night Belinda died?
Jacquelyn Mitchard is renowned for her incisive, gripping domestic dramas, and The Good Son is no exception. Mitchard is a bestselling American author, whose debut novel The Deep End of the Ocean was the inaugural pick for Oprah’s Book Club back in 1996. Of course, this set her up for a powerhouse career, which has now consisted of twenty-two novels for both adults and teenagers. She has also been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The opening line of The Good Son packs an incredibly powerful punch that sets the tone for the rest of the story: ‘I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he had murdered.’ The novel is separated into three parts, entitled Release, Renewal and Redemption, which recount the journey of Stefan and Thea, following Stefan’s release from prison at only twenty years of age. Mitchard delicately delves into this family’s agonising experience with Stefan’s drug addiction and his time spent in prison, as well as the difficulties he faces upon returning to society. What starts as a domestic drama quickly picks up pace. By the end of this novel, I was left with the impression of having read a thriller, as the twists, turns and surprises kept on coming.
While the setting is distinctly American, The Good Son touches on universal themes that make this a poignant, heart-wrenching story. It’s not a light read, but the strength and complexity of the characters, especially Thea, elevate this novel. Mitchard herself is a mother of nine (yes, nine!) children, which makes the context of reading this book about a mother and son relationship all the more interesting.
The Good Son is the perfect read for those who enjoy a tantalising combination of gripping domestic drama and mystery. Mitchard has once again shown her storytelling prowess in this powerful novel of family and redemption.
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