The Perfect Son
A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she'll go to in order to keep him safe.
When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie's eighth birthday, she's sure of these things: She's been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved. But no one is listening to her.
After her husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident a few months earlier, the only thing keeping Tess together is Jamie. As they struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy like walking to school and watching television together. Life is hard without Mark, but Tess has Jamie, and that's what matters.
But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by people who won't listen, Tess’s world falls apart. To save her son, she must piece together what happened between Mark's death and Jamie's birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear.
When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie's eighth birthday, she's sure of these things: She's been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved. But no one is listening to her.
After her husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident a few months earlier, the only thing keeping Tess together is Jamie. As they struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy like walking to school and watching television together. Life is hard without Mark, but Tess has Jamie, and that's what matters.
But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by people who won't listen, Tess’s world falls apart. To save her son, she must piece together what happened between Mark's death and Jamie's birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear.
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Community Reviews
In her debut novel, The Perfect Son, author Lauren North examines the devastatingly destructive impact of sudden, profound loss with stunning effect.
Tess Clarke is happily married to Mark and they are raising their seven-year-old son, Jamie. When Mark is killed in an airplane crash, Tess's world is shattered, but she is trying to carry on for Jamie's sake. Her first-person narrative -- an ongoing internal dialogue with Mark -- commences 55 days prior to Jamie's eighth birthday. She and Mark bought out his brother Ian's interest in their childhood home, and Tess has opted to remain there. Aside from walking Jamie to and from the school in the nearby village, she rarely gets dressed or leaves the house. Sleep evades her, unopened mail is piling up, and she is reluctant to take the antidepressant medication prescribed by her physician. Tess cuts off communications with her old friends, mother and beloved brother. She has failed to respond to her attorney's urging that she begin the painful process of carrying out the terms of Mark's will. Concerned for Tess's well-being, her mother arranges for a local grief counselor, Shelley, to pay Tess a visit and provide support.
Shelly became a grief counselor after losing her four-year-old son to leukemia. He would be just about Jamie's age now. Realizing that they have much in common, Tess accepts Shelley's assistance and friendship, agrees to being taking the antidepressant, and is delighted by the changes she observes in Jamie as a result of Shelley's presence in their lives. However, as Jamie's eighth birthday approaches, Tess becomes increasingly paranoid and frightened. Tess and Ian never had a close relationship. When he appears, claiming that Mark borrowed money from him and demanding that Tess repay the loan -- about which Tess had no knowledge -- she becomes convinced that Ian has a nefarious motive. She believes he wants to collect the proceeds of Mark's life insurance and has been inside her home while she was away, rifling through Mark's office in search of information. Tess also becomes convinced that she is being followed by a mysterious man, and that she is receiving ominous, threatening telephone calls demanding that she return something Mark took from the stranger, although she has no idea what he seeks.
North alternates the chapters detailing Tess's daily activities and thoughts with transcripts from an interview with her in the hospital by an individual Tess believes to be a detective, as well as excerpts from declarations executed by Ian and Shelley.
The Perfect Son is unpredictable and engrossing. Tess is a compellingly tragic character. Her distress is palpable, understandable, and heartbreaking. She is also incredibly angry about Mark's death which North reveals to have been senseless and a result of a series of unfortunate occurrences. As the story advances, North keeps readers guessing about what is motivating Ian and Shelley, and the nature and history of their relationship, as well as whether Tess is a reliable narrator. North's pacing is spot-on and unrelenting, as she inserts clues about the impending momentous event that will take place on Jamie's birthday. When the truth is fully revealed, it is shocking,emotionally wrenching, and demonstrates how skillfully North constructed and executed the Tess's harrowing story.
The Perfect Son is an impressive and promising debut thriller that proves Lauren North can hold her own among other female authors penning psychological thrillers, and leaves readers clamoring for more of her work.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Tess Clarke is happily married to Mark and they are raising their seven-year-old son, Jamie. When Mark is killed in an airplane crash, Tess's world is shattered, but she is trying to carry on for Jamie's sake. Her first-person narrative -- an ongoing internal dialogue with Mark -- commences 55 days prior to Jamie's eighth birthday. She and Mark bought out his brother Ian's interest in their childhood home, and Tess has opted to remain there. Aside from walking Jamie to and from the school in the nearby village, she rarely gets dressed or leaves the house. Sleep evades her, unopened mail is piling up, and she is reluctant to take the antidepressant medication prescribed by her physician. Tess cuts off communications with her old friends, mother and beloved brother. She has failed to respond to her attorney's urging that she begin the painful process of carrying out the terms of Mark's will. Concerned for Tess's well-being, her mother arranges for a local grief counselor, Shelley, to pay Tess a visit and provide support.
Shelly became a grief counselor after losing her four-year-old son to leukemia. He would be just about Jamie's age now. Realizing that they have much in common, Tess accepts Shelley's assistance and friendship, agrees to being taking the antidepressant, and is delighted by the changes she observes in Jamie as a result of Shelley's presence in their lives. However, as Jamie's eighth birthday approaches, Tess becomes increasingly paranoid and frightened. Tess and Ian never had a close relationship. When he appears, claiming that Mark borrowed money from him and demanding that Tess repay the loan -- about which Tess had no knowledge -- she becomes convinced that Ian has a nefarious motive. She believes he wants to collect the proceeds of Mark's life insurance and has been inside her home while she was away, rifling through Mark's office in search of information. Tess also becomes convinced that she is being followed by a mysterious man, and that she is receiving ominous, threatening telephone calls demanding that she return something Mark took from the stranger, although she has no idea what he seeks.
North alternates the chapters detailing Tess's daily activities and thoughts with transcripts from an interview with her in the hospital by an individual Tess believes to be a detective, as well as excerpts from declarations executed by Ian and Shelley.
The Perfect Son is unpredictable and engrossing. Tess is a compellingly tragic character. Her distress is palpable, understandable, and heartbreaking. She is also incredibly angry about Mark's death which North reveals to have been senseless and a result of a series of unfortunate occurrences. As the story advances, North keeps readers guessing about what is motivating Ian and Shelley, and the nature and history of their relationship, as well as whether Tess is a reliable narrator. North's pacing is spot-on and unrelenting, as she inserts clues about the impending momentous event that will take place on Jamie's birthday. When the truth is fully revealed, it is shocking,emotionally wrenching, and demonstrates how skillfully North constructed and executed the Tess's harrowing story.
The Perfect Son is an impressive and promising debut thriller that proves Lauren North can hold her own among other female authors penning psychological thrillers, and leaves readers clamoring for more of her work.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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