Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth: A Review | Literary Horror ft Female Rage

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth book review

Ok, I have got to start taking book genres seriously! This one was labeled domestic horror, so keep that in mind before picking this one up. (I knew there was a ghost involved in this story but I assumed it would be more figurative.) I need to start following my own advice more in choosing books (see my post on how to choose a book here). That’s not to say that this book wasn’t well done.

Motherthing was a fascinating portrayal of the slow buildup to female rage, and a general analysis of the human psyche. In other words, it was Abby’s character that kept me reading. Abby was probably in her mid thirties yet she behaved like a child, with fierce, ever-fluctuating emotions. Basically, unhinged (see my thoughts on why we love reading about unhinged women here). 

She had good reason to be, of course, having grown up as the only child of a single, extremely self-involved and uncaring mother. Her mother had been desperate for a man to love her, but didn’t feel it was really possible. She’d change herself to be more loveable to men and then resent it, kind of like the main character in Gone Girl. Being in this environment, with a mother so focused on herself and her needs, who even used Abby as a pawn to draw sympathy and try to get the men to stay…. was awful for her to say the least. So when Abby met Ralph, a man who took her under his wing, and loved her unconditionally she finally felt accepted and protected from the world.

You know the experiment they did with monkeys and their mothers? Back in the day, they saw that when a monkey is taken from his or her mother they’ll turn anything at their disposal into a Motherthing, even a pair of socks. It will cling to it and receive comfort from it. This experiment summed up Abby’s relationships, past and and present. It was exactly what Abby had to do growing up and continued to do with almost everyone she met: they either became a good Motherthing (Ralph) or a bad Motherthing (like her mother in law) and sometimes it could switch at the drop of a hat.

A person’s reactions to her in the moment were sometimes the difference between good or bad motherthing, like when her coworker politely declined a helping of a dish (jellied salmon?!) she made. In that moment Abby’s intense inner fury raged almost out of nowhere, but the storm later calmed when the coworker did accept a taste. Another motherthing for Abby was the woman she worked with in her job caring for elders. She and this woman had some sort of unspoken connection, as the woman barely spoke. At least she assumed they did. Trying to juggle all these Motherthings, the good and the bad, was what got Abby into trouble again and again.

The writing

The writing was visceral. It showcased undeniable talent, but at the same time distracted from the plot. The long sentences went off on tangents that made me lose track of what was happening. I had to skim any descriptions so I could focus, which was frustrating. Also, I found the beginning jarring. The opening scene kind of slammed us into the book and expected too much of us without giving us time to get to know the characters and setting.

The structure

I appreciated that Motherthing by didn’t go back in time via alternating chapters like many books do. Instead it was a straight story where we heard about the past more seamlessly. The memories slowly came in and filled out Abby’s character.

Its messages

On the surface, Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth was a dark, haunting mother in law ghost story, but its message was to look past the outer plot and into Abby’s inner world, specifically her rage. The story doesn’t comment on whether it was a good thing or bad thing that Abby came to embody more of her rage, but rather presents what happens when one has to rely on motherthings instead of a mother growing up.

My rating: 7/10.