Mother Love

Domini Taylor's novel of a mother's obsessive love, twisted notions of loyalty, and the fight for control over the lives of the people around her(family and friends)comes alive here in the creepiest, most chilling ways imaginable. The story begins, ordinarily enough, with the focus on a young couple who seem to have everything going for them...except for the young man's mother, who is cossetted and protected (and not told certain things). As the story progresses, Taylor treats us to glimpses of Helena Vesey's dual nature. For example, Helena knows a good deal of what people are trying to protect her from. On the one hand, she seems to accept her son's new girlfriend (eventually his wife), yet on the other hand we are shown first how she plots to break up the new romance, then, when she realizes that this is impossible, decides to "welcome" Angela into the family with the intent of molding her into the kind of person she wants her to be. The story is also interesting because it is told from more than one point of view. Readers will get Kit's (Helena's son), Angela's, Helena's, Helena's ex-husband's, the ex's two successive wives', childrens' (from the subsequent marriages), and other relatives' and friends' viewpoints. This is also a fine mystery, but it is not a mystery in the traditional sense of the word. The reader knows who the murderer is (in all 3 murders and a 4th attempted murder), but the mystery lies in the whys behind them. What are the murderer's motives? Why does the murderer act and think in those particular ways? What sets off the murderer? It is a psychological murder(s) mystery that (Freud and) the readers would enjoy as you attempt to understand the reasoning for the behavior. If you enjoy mysteries that delve into the psychology of the murderer, then this novel is for you. I highly recommend it.This novel was also made into a television series for the BBC and ran on the PBS program "Mystery!" in 1990. It starred Dame Diana Rigg in what I think of as the most chilling role in her career (the expression on her face as the series ends, with her in jail/psychiatric ward, completely in shock because she cannot even begin to understand how anyone managed to figure out that she was the murderer, much less catch her,thus thwarting her goal of meting out her form of justice, stays with me to this day), James Wilby, Fiona Gillies, Holly Aird, Amelia Shankely, and others to round out a fine supporting cast. Although I cannot find a copy of the video anywhere, I do remember that it was faithful to the novel, and a wonderful adaptation. Dame Rigg has the character of Helena Vesey, as a psychotic, manipulative control-freak who demands and expects complete loyalty from her family down pat. She also displays the ruthlessness with which Helena "punishes" those who disobey her rules of loyalty. The video is also highly recommended (if you can find a copy).