Louise (64 KP) rated Beside Myself in Books
Jul 2, 2018
This book got a little confusing for me, I was having a little of a hard time of trying to keep up with who was who. At times I was skeptical towards the plot as it felt unrealistic in parts.The Mother was just an awful human being and treated her children badly.. This was difficult to read as Helen had such a tragic life and everything and one seemed to be against her. I would recommend reading if you enjoy family psychological drama.
Overall I rated this book 3/5 stars.
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Mine in Books
Aug 14, 2018
This story has a promising premise – the central character, a young woman wakes up from a Caesarean section not believing that baby labeled as hers, a premature babe struggling in a special humidcrib, really is hers.
Once she makes her concerns known, she is soon admitted to a mental health ward. She is a qualified paediatrician and pathologist and from experience knows how easily dangerous, and even fatal mistakes, can be made. She wants to take steps to confirm whether baby Toby is hers, when she starts to feel that another baby, Gabriel, is hers. Neither hospital staff, nor her own husband believe her.
The book concentrates on the first few days after the birth. But these chapters are interspersed with chapters reflecting on Sasha’s deteriorating relationship with her husband, their long-term struggle with fertility, Sasha’s one but significant mistake as a paediatrician, and Sasha’s irreparable relationship with her own mother. To many readers this may well add more depth to the story, but I felt that it slowed down what ought to have been a more fast-paced novel. It would have been a more intense read had the character actually had post-natal psychosis.
What I will say for the author though, is that she knows how to keep the readers guessing. Throughout the book, I had no idea which was her real baby, or even if her baby had really survived.
I also couldn’t tell who betrayed her to the psych ward.
What makes the story is its sadly believable but well-meaning non-perfect ending (no spoilers).
For more of my reviews, check out bookblogbycari.com
This short novel shows a middle-aged woman who is very lonely, poor and under-educated. She does the work she loves though, looking after children in their own homes. She becomes very attached to all of her charges, and it seems that they all adore her.
This isn’t a story with a nice explanation or reason for a murder. It’s a lot like real life in that way: sometimes people become overwhelmed and can’t cope. It seemed obvious to me from early in that the nanny, Louise, had mental health problems. She seemed to be given full responsibility of two small children for a large part of the day, whilst their parents worked really long hours. I think the changing opinions of the parents don’t help her: one minute she can do no wrong and is an integral part of the family, the next, she’s ‘just’ the hired help. The ending isn’t wrapped up all nicely with a resolution. There’s no happy ending for any of them. Just like real life. I wasn’t surprised to learn that this could actually be based on the true story of a nanny murdering her employers children in much the same way, which made it all the more chilling.
If you’re not ok with reading about child murders, I’d steer well clear of this book, otherwise, it’s a very compelling read.
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