THE MOTHER-IN-LAW (Sally Hepworth)

I will admit that I found the concept of this novel intriguing.  Doesn't every married woman feel, deep down inside, that she can never measure up to her mother-in-law's expectations and doesn't every daughter-in-law at some point wish that she could kill her mother-in-law?  However, this is not my favorite Sally Hepworth novel, although I enjoyed it immensely.  One of the negatives was that there was virtually no likable character aside from Tom, the father-in-law.  Tom was a self-made man of great wealth who loved unconditionally and joyfully.  He was the one person who seemed to understand Diana, the mother-in-law.

When Lucy met Diana she had high hopes for a wonderful relationship, but neither she nor her mother-in-law has the communication skills nor the temperament to form a warm and mutually satisfying bond.  Their inability to share their true selves with each other creates a wall of misunderstanding between them.  For example, in Diana's family, each time a new baby is born the grandmother gives a raw chicken to the new mother, so this is what she does at the birth of each of Lucy and Ollie's 3 babies.  Unfortunately, Diane doesn't try to explain (or even understand) this tradition and Lucy, who each time is struggling with a colicky infant, is infuriated by her mother-in-law's failure to actually COOK the chicken for the family.  However, she never asks why.

This is actually a mystery revolving around Diana's death, which appears at first glance to be a suicide.  But was it?  Ollie's sister Nettie and her husband Patrick, plagued by infertility, have spent their life savings on unsuccessful fertility treatments and Nettie is heartbroken that her widowed mother refuses to finance more treatments.  Patrick has been spotted with other women.  Lucy once pushed her mother-in-law in anger, resulting in a concussion.  Ollie's poor business decisions have left the family on the brink of financial ruin.  Could Diana have been murdered for her money?  Running through the story are references to Diana as a pregnant teenager, an intriguing mystery related to Diana's great philanthropy towards unwed mothers.

There is a lot to like in this novel aside from the unlikable characters.  I would highly recommend it.