Mine by Clare Empson #Review

Today is Mother's Day in the UK and what could be more appropriate than a novel which picks apart the effect of Motherhood? Mine by Clare Empson was published on 22nd August by Orion.


'Who am I? Why am I here? Why did my mother give me away?'

On the surface, Luke and his girlfriend Hannah seem to have a perfect life. He's an A&R man, she's an arts correspondent and they are devoted to their new-born son Samuel.

But beneath the gloss Luke has always felt like an outsider. So when he finds his birth mother Alice, the instant connection with her is a little like falling in love.

When Hannah goes back to work, Luke asks Alice to look after their son. But Alice - fuelled with grief from when her baby was taken from her 27 years ago - starts to fall in love with Samuel. And Luke won't settle for his mother pushing him aside once again...

                                                                                  My Thoughts

This is quite a memorable read which deals with loss and grief and takes a close look at the nature of Motherhood. You get to follow Luke and Alice's story and the action moves between the present day and the time of Luke's birth, decades earlier. You know from early on that Luke was adopted and the emphasis is very much on the effect this has had on his character and on his birth mother. Luke's relationship with his adoptive mother is complicated and your view of her changes as the story develops. 

    In addition, Luke and his partner, Hannah have recently had their own son, so you also get to examine how they feel about their child and their hopes for him. You feel that Luke's approach to Samuel can be traced back to his own babyhood. He cannot bear for him to cry. Clare Empson displays an empathy for issues around adoption and this is a sensitively written novel. There is an element of tension but I hesitate to talk of it as a psychological thriller as it has a thoughtful and gentle pace. The ending though is intense and shocking.

In short: Motherhood under the microscope. 
                                                                              About the Author

Clare Empson worked as a staff writer on national newspapers covering everything from collapsing merchant banks to tea with the late Barbara Cartland (everything pink including the cakes). Eight years ago, she moved to the West Country and founded the arts and lifestyle blog countrycalling.co.uk.

The idyllic setting inspired her first novel, which reveals the darker side of paradise. Clare lives on the Wiltshire/Dorset border with her husband and three children.

You can follow Clare here: Twitter   |  Website   |  Facebook 

                                          |  Instagram

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Clare Empson, Orion and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.  

                                                         Check out the rest of the tour!