Mum’s The Word – Book Review and Blog Tour

When Ann-Marie Ross murders her abusive husband and feeds him to the pigs, she thinks she’s got away with murder and secured the future of her Scottish cider farm. But she soon finds herself having to keep more than one deadly secret to protect those closest to her.

As four women embrace their new-found independence, Ann-Marie is tormented by the threat of discovery.

A darkly comic tale of murder, friendship and love.

Thanks to author Lorraine Turnbull and Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the book tour of Mum’s The Word, and for providing an advance review copy.

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Mum’s The Word

Author: Lorraine Turnbull

Genre: Fiction

Theme: Dark humor

I picked up this book hoping for something light between serious reading, and it turned out to be a greater surprise than expected! The story kicks off with a blast, as the middle-aged Ann-Marie whacks her abusive husband with a pan and leaves him in the barn for the pigs to feed on. She calmly returns to the house, and goes out to the barn several hours later on the pretext of wondering why her husband hasn’t come inside for lunch, only to “discover” him dead. That’s the story told to everyone – an unfortunate farming accident. The only people privy to the crime are Ann-Marie, her best friend Elaine, and the reader. But then Ann-Marie’s mother finds out. And the octogenarian is not only happy to keep the secret, but also personally does away with other abusive husbands in the area. The elderly neighbour Sadie’s husband tumbles down the stairs; Elaine’s husband falls from a cliff. Who would suspect the gang of old widows?

Mum’s The Word has a little bit of everything – humor, crime, suspense, horror, romance – the contemporary Scottish fiction is such a delight! A lot of the dialogue is in Scots, with many characters, especially Elaine, speaking in the dialect. The narrative wonderfully transports you to the farmland in Scotland, with its plethora of animal characters- cocker spaniels Bracken and Bramble being the stars of the lot; Archie too, in his limited page time; and of course, little Troy. The old-timers and animals are the most endearing characters, bringing life to this dark comedy with their wit and antics.

Author Lorraine Turnbull addresses themes of domestic abuse, grown up children taking advantage of elderly parents, elders taking care of those even older than themselves, the grandparent-grandchild bond, human-animal interaction, the business of farm life, the naming of puppies, forging new relationships after widowhood, the significance of friendships across all ages. I liked how she brings in a range of topics, and neatly arranges them all in a compact narrative that’s as hilarious as it is heartwarming. There’s something for every reader in Mum’s The Word, and it’s enjoyable in every way. Wickedly concocted and superbly written.

The only drawback I felt was that the humor wasn’t consistent throughout to excel as a dark comedy. It’s a riot in places, but interspersed with regular contemporary fiction. A wonderful read nevertheless.

My rating: 4.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Bio – Lorraine Turnbull was born in Glasgow where she lived until 2005 when she and her family moved to Cornwall to run a smallholding. She relocated to France in 2017 where she continues to make cider, writes books and learns French.

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/LorraineTurnbullAuthor

Twitter – @LorraineAuthor