All The Other Mothers Hate Me (adult fiction)

     "The missing boy is ten-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit.

     I realize that's a horrible thing to say about a child, particularly one who is missing. But--and I'm not proud of this--if I had to choose a boy in Dylan's class to vanish in broad daylight, Alfie would have been at the top of my list."

     Flo, the narrator of Sarah Harmon's All The Other Mothers Hate Me, is pretty disillusioned with life. The girl band she was part of didn't make it big until after she left it. Now she's paying the bills by making balloon arches for rich people's parties. But there's still so much time to fill with television and alcohol and hookups. Her about-to-be-married younger sister is always on her case to grow up already. And the other mothers at her son, Dylan's do seem to hate, or at least dislike, her.

     Dylan is the one ray of sunshine in Flo's life. It's the two of them. His father walked out when he was an infant. But she'd walk through fire to protect him. 

     One day, about to shoplift an expensive bodysuit, Flo gets a notification: EMERGENCY AT SHOOL!!! Alfie Risby has vanished on a nature center field trip. Dylan and Alfie were partners.

     You see Dylan isn't like the other kids. He's the picked on loner whose only friend is a neighborhood septuagenarian who gives him crickets for his pet turtle. Unfortunately the boys have a history and Dylan was the last person who saw Alfie. So Flo can't be completely sure Dylan is innocent...

     ...especially when she finds Alfie's backpack stuffed under Dylan's bed.

     Now Flo's a woman on a mission. She's got to find a way to keep her son from being convicted and sent away...

     ...not an easy task when she's seriously lacking in skills and know how. Not to mention friends she can trust. And her impulsiveness isn't exactly helping. 

     If you're a fan of twisty mysteries with less than perfect protagonists thrust into desperate situations you'll find All The Other Mothers Hate Me to be a most satisfying read.

On a purrrsonal note, I've committed to volunteering with the Community Garden and Orono Public Library on a weekly basis, starting last week. Lucky for me playing paparazzi for the library counts as volunteering. They had a children's event last week. Those kids were too cute for words. 

A great big shout out goes out to the librarians, kids, and families. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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