Can someone please explain the point of this book? I didn't get it. It's marketed as horror, but I'd use that term very loosely. Yes, it is gross in parts and there are mentions of a ghost haunting Abby & Ralph, but that's it. The dark humour was he only thing that kept me going to the end and switching to the audio book. The whole middle section was about jellied salmon and yoghurt which bored me to tears, and weirdly Abby seemed to forget she had a husbands for a large chunk of it, he completely disappeared form the storyline. There was hardly any back story to explain Abby's obsession with Motherhood and a severe lack of character development. Unhinged? yes. Entertaining? In parts. Worth the hype? No.

Dark, delirious, and utterly delightful! A gruesome and chilling ghost story of sorts. However, ultimately, 'Motherthing' feels like a story about the consequences of trauma inherited from our mothers, motherhood itself, and mental illness. Thank you to Atlantic for allowing me to review!

A darkly creepy and yet funny account of loss and the need for comfort.

In the immediate aftermath of her mother-in-law Laura’s death, Abby takes something she wants, plunging her into a precarious situation with her husband.

Abby’s husband mourning is complicated by Abby wanting to usher in what she calls the “new era” in the house they shared with Laura.

Becoming frustrated with her husband’s mourning, explained in part by her own mother’s lacking, Abby begins to obsess with the idea of having a baby.

And therein lies the concept of a “motherthing.” An item to cuddle and give you comfort in the absence of a real, live caregiver. This, Abby knows, can be a sock filled with socks, but perhaps she doesn’t quite understand that this is also what she’s asking of her unborn-maybe-not-even-yet-conceived child.

I really liked the tone of Motherthing; the darkest of dark humour mixed with genuine feeling, and the mundanity of day to day. This is reflected in the prose which are both precise and dreamy, communicating the unreality of the situation. And there’s a real truth in some of Abby’s thoughts, the idea of a cursed pillow, and that a jellied salmon could make everything alright, if only it were perfectly moulded.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I can see that this is going to be a very polarising read. But love it or hate it this book really makes you feel things. I felt unsettled and vaguely disgusted the whole way through. To be honest l still can't put into words exactly how or why this book made me the I feel the things it did.
Overall i did enjoy it and would recommend to lovers of unhinged and thoroughly unlikable characters

If you’re looking for a horror themed book with a difference, may I recommend Motherthing. This is the story of Abby and it does take some dark and gory turns. There’s even some ghosts and psychics thrown into the mix… It looks at a theme lots of people do indeed find scary – motherhood in all its forms.

The first thing to say about Motherthing is that while it references some dark and serious issues such as the affects of suicide and psychosis, it’s also funny. In the very best dry, deadpan way. Some of Abby’s observations on life or her take on a situation are so relatable. They connected with my sarcastic core or really resonate on a deeper, cutting level, making it such a clever, engrossing read.

Abby had a traumatic childhood with a lack of mother’s love and looked to fill the gap with motherthings – finding her comfort elsewhere, including inanimate objects.

Abby is now married to Ralph and has a desire to be a mother. The book explores all angles of motherhood: how Abby deals with finding out others are pregnant when she isn’t, her fractured relationship with her own mother and the warped relationship with her mother-in-law, Laura, whose suicide triggers the events of the book.

Things get a bit chaotic for Abby as Laura’s ghost haunts her in more ways than one…

Written as Abby’s stream of consciousness (I enjoyed the unique ‘scene’ elements that were flashes back to moments in Abby & Ralph’s past), the closeness and then fracture of Abby and Ralph’s relationship is brilliantly captured as Ralph doesn’t cope amazingly with his mother’s death.

The ending does take a gory twist, but that just adds to the horror credentials. By that point you will be fully immersed in Abby’s tale – I really felt for her – so that it seems like a natural conclusion really. It did to me anyway. I very much enjoyed Motherthing as it felt so different from anything I’ve read recently.

I cannot even begin to explain what I’ve just read.
The only words I can think of might give the impression that I didn’t enjoy it, but that’s far from the truth.

First things first, this book isn’t for the faint of heart. I might list some of the triggers, but they will be vague, so I don’t risk potential spoilers.
If you are easily offended or triggered, you might want to skip Motherthing.

And now I’m torn about admitting how much I loved this book for fear of what that says about me! Lol To say it’s twisted is the understatement of the year, but I lapped up every word, hungry for the next.
Abby is one of the best characters I’ve ever read, and yet I’m struggling to say why because the use of certain words might also elude to some spoilers, and I believe you should go into this knowing very little.

One of the many phenomenal aspects of the book is the language Ainslie uses. It’s clever, powerful and deliciously evocative, so much so that I wanted the book to be longer, so I could stay lost in Ainslie’s writing.

Motherthing is a hauntingly dark horror-comedy with lashings of emotional trauma, disturbing twists and stomach-churning moments. Perfect all year round, but especially for Spooktober.

TW ~ You know what? Please read a different review or check the book itself. My triggers might not be yours, and if you are reading horror, you should already expect some gruesome content.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atlantic Books, for the eArc in return for an honest review.

This was a very dark book to get you hooked into reading on. It is not my usual type of book and did take me a few attempts to read before I got into it.

Motherthing should have been a story I really enjoyed. The darkness was there, the toxic characters and the desperation of the lead player all should have been right up my street. But it just didn't click for me I am afraid.

Having seen so many positive reviews for Motherthing I had high hopes but I found it didn't flow easily and I wasn't buying into the characters. I stopped reading, started, stopped and eventually decided I was going to push through to the end. I am glad I did as the finale was unexpected and more satisfying than I had been anticipating.

I fear I found the early part of the book to be too much of a slow burn and it came close to DNF more than once. As I said, I have seen many readers loving Morthering and I am delighted that it is finding its audience - I am sorry that I can't be as enthusiastic as some of the others.

"I said help me, you thief! You sneaky little thief! If you want him, you have to take us both, you understand!"

Motherthing is a wildly creepy and blackly hilarious domestic thriller: it follows Abby, a happily married woman who has left her deeply traumatic past behind. But when Laura, her nasty mother-in-law, takes her own life, Abby's husband is plunged into a deep depression, from which only Abby can save him. But Laura isn't quite ready to leave the young couple alone, appearing as an apparition in their home. Frustrated, scared and a little unhinged, Abby decides to do whatever it takes to save her beloved husband.

First things first: this is a real "no plot, just vibes" kind of read. The above plot only really kicks in in the book's last quarter; prior to that, we spend a lot of time in Abby's head, remembering Laura's difficultness and processing her current predicament. Abby is a character who is equal parts endearing and frustrating; I spun between wanting to cheer her on and wishing she would wise up. That's a sign of effective interiority, in my opinion, though: Abby is complex enough that it feels like the reader really knows her. I can't say the same for Ralph, Abby's husband: he's a little one-dimensional, a "perfect good", something for Abby to project all her fears and desires onto. I think it's intentional, but given that Abby is so richly drawn, it left the novel a little unbalanced.

Hogarth tackles a lot of big themes in this novel: mental health and suicide are discussed in depth, as is pregnancy, motherhood, and familial abuse. All are dealt with with relative ease by the author, with Abby's past traumas deliberately obscured until the near-end of the novel. It's uninhibited writing, akin to Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch; the type of writing that makes the reader stop, blink, and think "is this allowed?" . And for the record, that's a very goo thing indeed.

This is a very strange book. I went into it expecting a little more scary and horror but got strange and weird!

Abby and Ralph have moved into Ralphs mother's home to support her through her depression but she kills herself. Ralph's convinced his mother is still living in the basement and Abby tries to help him when his mental health spirals.

There is also side stories about Abby's job as a carer and one of the patients she looks after, a stolen ring, wanting a baby and a jellied salmon (which as someone who doesn't eat fish I probably found this the most terrifying part of th book!)

I felt like there was too much going on whilst nothing really happened. I thought this would be a creepy mother in law ghost story and instead got this weird mash up of I don't even know what!

There were observations about motherhood I liked and I thought the last few pages were quite clever but unfortunately this was not the book for me! A shame because the cover is banging!

Motherthing is a very weird book - it’s essentially about a couple, Abby and Ralph, and Ralph’s mum Laura (the mother-in-law from hell) commits suicide. They are then haunted by the ghost of Laura, while Ralph slips deeper and deeper into a depression, as we uncover some dark secrets between the couple.

The whole book had a very retro 50s sort of vibe to it, which I really enjoyed as I’ve never read a book quite like it! There was a lot of very dry and sarcastic humour throughout the book too which I loved - I laughed out loud so many times! The writing was really easy to get through, making the whole book a very quick and binge-worthy read!

Despite being very quirky and funny, it was pretty creepy in places. This is definitely not a scary horror by any means, but there were a couple of bits that made me look over shoulder briefly! The story was very dark and disturbing, but in a more sort of psychological drama sense than a scary horror.

There were so many dark topics thrown in, so definitely look up trigger warnings in more detail if you’re concerned. In amongst all the wild and outrageous present-day events in the book, we had stories from the past uncover a range of abuse and assault, as well as looking into mental illness, depression and suicide.

I absolutely loved Abby as a character - she was so relatable and just hilarious to read her interactions with Laura after she had passed. Abby is definitely going to be one of my favourite female characters of the year!! Also Abby and Ralph together were serious couple goals 👌🏼

Favourite quote:
“I could have loved you so much, Laura, you stupid fucking asshole, but you just couldn’t do it, you were just too mean, sucking everything pleasant from a room. The private alarm of losing track of a spider on a ceiling, that is what it felt like to be in a room with you.”

I feel like this book will be very ‘marmite’, but I loved it! It was so bold, witty and ridiculous, and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you SO much to Harry at @atlanticbooks for sending over this review copy! Motherthing is OUT NOW!

A bizarre but compelling read. While main character Abby felt deranged and obsessive, it was hard not to like her! Really cleverly written and a perfect dose of disgusting by the end. Loved it! Not for the faint hearted or those with a weak stomach!

This sadly wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into the writing style at all and found I disliked the main character so much I was just getting annoyed with her. Wouldn’t class it as horror as such but it is dark in parts. Just didn’t hit the spot I was hoping it would from the blurb and the cover!

(Actually 4.25 stars)

This book begins right after Laura, the mother-in-law of the main character, Abby, dies by suicide - lingering as a spiteful, poisonous apparition; tipping Ralph into depression and drawing out the most desperate, lonely, and unhinged parts of Abby.

I could not stop reading this well-written, dark, absurd, gross, and endlessly entertaining story!

Right off the bat, with passages on excrement, blood, and a flawed but funny and vulnerable narrator, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. I was expecting a campy, literary horror story, and this does deliver some delightfully creepy sequences, gory and unpredictable scenes, and a heavy, foreboding atmosphere. From taking the words of a retro cookbook as gospel to oscillating between murderous hate and overwhelming love for her coworkers, Abby is a consistently amusing and very human protagonist.

However, I did not predict how deep this was going to go into Abby's trauma. We explore her devastating lack of self-esteem, her obsession with anyone who shows her the least bit of affection, and her fixation on motherhood and family, to the point that she once thought of a couch her "mother" and considers an elderly woman her "baby". Ultimately, when she convinces herself to take the most drastic measures to "save her family", it feels like a natural progression for a woman who has been pushed to the very limits of sanity.

A perfect seasonal read with substance as well as style.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the DRC!

After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are ready to start a family and put the darkness from their respective childhoods to rest.

So when they move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to make amends and finally bond. After all, Abby has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs Bondy, her favourite 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 plunges into depression, he sees his dead mother, speaks to her, and is almost losing the essence of himself. Abby won't believe it – can't let herself believe it.

To make matters worse, Mrs Bondy’s daughter threatens 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, determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king.

Motherthing is a dark psychological drama that questions reality, sanity, morals, motherhood and more, with Abby's mother-in-law at the core, who, as cruel in death as in life, forces Abby to mentally battle a woman whose spirit was constantly slowly sucking the life from the pair in some form, and reckon with her shifting grasp on her motherly aspirations, and the potential loss of those who offer that genuine maternal connection via her role as a caregiver.

Motherthing is bleak, darkly comic, and often gag-worthy. How far will Abbey go as she clings to her dreams by any means necessary?

an intensely disturbing tale of domesticity and motherhood, exploring the feminine desire of wanting unconditional love, the relationships that make us worthy, the horrors of mothers and motherhood, and female rage.

hogarth explores these themes so well by intertwining them in a gruesome and psychological, yet darkly funny, horror story. what made this so special was abby's character - she is so well drawn to us, seeming like the perfect person with an idealistic vision of the future. we see she is deeply determined to work past the trauma's in her life and gain this ideal future, including gaining existential and emotional attachments, ultimately leading her spiralling down a path of dark feminine insanity.

at the centre of this novel is the underlying message of the quest for unconditional love after living through trauma and emotional isolation. it is a message of what mothers and motherhood means to us, and the drive to create a perfect and stable life. it is scary and comical but also weirdly convincing and genuinely moving at times. would recommend to anyone looking for an emotional and comedic literary horror this season.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Twisted, dark and incredibly well written. ‘I couldn’t put it down’ is such a cliche, but in this case it was true. The plot, the pacing, the characterisation - 10/10!

It’s also deeply funny, in a dark way. I can’t wait to read more from Ainslie Hogarth!

I’ve seen Motherthing pop up quite a few times on Instagram and was intrigued by the interesting cover.

Upon reading the story it wasn’t what I was expecting and didn’t really appeal to me.

It was clear after the death of Ralph’s mother that he would spiral into depression which is to be expected but Abby’s character was just bizarre, had “mommy issues” and frequently rambled about unnecessary things.

I initially thought this book was a horror but it wasn’t and more so focused on mental health and trauma.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

DNF at 35%. I limped away at this but kept drifting off. However, this wasn't really down to any weakness in the book so much as the nature of its strength. I found this interesting, engaging and (so far as I could tell when I stopped), well-plotted. The character voice was distinctive and the writing strong. Unfortunately for me, it was the kind of character voice I just don't have patience for any more -- quirky, humorous, clever, but not ultimately risky. I feel like I've read quite a few of these in the last couple of years, most recently Mona Awad's All's Well. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this style, and this is a well-done example of it. It just isn't for me.

Motherthing. Sounds a lot like mothering. And that's what this book is all about: being a mother, being a good mother, being a good mother-thing, even if you are not actually a mother.

The book follows Abby, in the wake of her mother-in-law's (Laura's) suicide. Laura was not a good mother to Ralph. Abby's mother was not a good mother to her. Laura was not a good substitute mother to Abby. But Abby can still be a good mother-thing to Ralph and their unborn child. But there's just one thing getting in the way: Laura's ghost.

My god, this book is creepy. It begins talking about shit and blood and death. And it never gives up this preoccupation with base bodily functions - a lot of which have a lot to do with birth and consumption. Not to mention, a good portion of the haunting comes from the womb-tomb basement. So yeah... creepy but in a fascinatingly gross kind of way.

The preoccupation with motherhood has a lot to do with women as caregivers, and what happens when women are unable or inept at giving care. It's the driving force of the story. I was expecting something akin to Psycho (Robert Bloch/Hitchcock) but this is so much more than that. It is bigger than that, and even more disturbing.

The heart of the horror, though, comes from Abby - an unhinged narrator in the wildest sense of the term. You can sympathise with her and loathe her. You can understand her, but also have no idea what she is doing. She is both destructive and caring. And her longing for a motherly love both destroys and makes her character. She is one of the most interesting and complex narrators I have ever had to spend time with.

So all in all, Motherthing's merits are vast and wild. The atmosphere, language, themes and characters all create a narrative that is both horrifying and compelling. I simply could not put it down.