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    The Other Mother: A Novel
    The Other Mother: A Novel
    The Other Mother: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Other Mother: A Novel

    Written by Carol Goodman

    Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of the internationally bestselling The Lake of Dead Languages comes a gripping novel about madness, motherhood, love, and trust.

    When Daphne Marist and her infant daughter, Chloe, pull up the gravel drive to the home of Daphne’s new employer, it feels like they’ve entered a whole new world. Tucked in the Catskills, the stone mansion looks like something out of a fairy tale, its lush landscaping hiding the view of the mental asylum just beyond its border. Daphne secured the live-in position using an assumed name and fake credentials, telling no one that she’s on the run from a controlling husband who has threatened to take her daughter away.

    Daphne’s new life is a far cry from the one she had in Westchester where, just months before, she and her husband welcomed little Chloe. From the start, Daphne tries to be a good mother, but she’s plagued by dark moods and intrusive thoughts that convince her she’s capable of harming her own daughter. When Daphne is diagnosed with Post Partum Mood Disorder, her downward spiral feels unstoppable—until she meets Laurel Hobbes.

    Laurel, who also has a daughter named Chloe, is everything Daphne isn’t: charismatic, sophisticated, fearless. They immediately form an intense friendship, revealing secrets to one another they thought they’d never share. Soon, they start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike, their lives mirroring one another in strange and disturbing ways. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a very shocking price—one that will ultimately lead her to that towering mansion in the Catskills where terrifying, long-hidden truths will finally be revealed....

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMar 27, 2018
    ISBN9780062842466
    Author

    Carol Goodman

    Carol Goodman’s rich and prolific career includes novels such as The Widow’s House and The Night Visitor, winners of the 2018 and 2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.

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    Reviews for The Other Mother

    3.5/5

    153 ratings46 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Great book, good narrator, plot twists keep you guessing till the very end!
    • 5/5
      Perfect, perfect.
      I couldn’t put this book down. A total master piece.
      Also, I love how it brings an important topic, postpartum depression. Even though this book is fiction, it is essential to take care of the mothers' mental health. They challenge so much (fears, anxiety, depressionons , etc.) and I feel it’s underestimated. I see myself recommending this book.
    • 2/5
      Convoluted and impulsively written in my opinion. At times entertaining, but the plot seemed contrived and all together unnatural.
    • 1/5
      Stupid, don’t waste your time. I did the audiobook, confusing
    • 5/5
      Such a talented writer!! I wish I would have found her books sooner.
    • 4/5
      This novel is a bit dark and so worth the read! Every time I thought I predicted what was going to happen next, the author threw in a twist I never saw coming. Very interesting storyline and characters.
    • 5/5
      It was a great book to me. Totally enjoyed it. Could not figure it out.
    • 4/5
      In The Other Mother, Carol Goodman skillfully utilizes the unreliable narrator plot device which results in an engrossing, twist-filled mystery.

      Daphne Marist and Laurel Hobbes meet at a support group meeting for new mothers who are struggling with postpartum disorders. Their daughters are both named Chloe and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Daphne is a former school librarian whose older husband manages a small hedge fund. Laurel is also married to a much older man but she is wealthy and attended exclusive schools in Europe. They quickly become inseparable and Laurel helps transform Daphne into her own image. Daphne eventually takes a job as an archivist for her favorite author Schuyler "Sky" Bennett and moves with Chloe to Sky's estate in the Catskills which is next to the Crantham Psychiatric Center. Daphne becomes quite curious about former mental patient Edith Sharp and she finds herself in an shocking situation that she might not be able to escape.

      Despite her sympathetic plight, Daphne is not an easy character to like at first. She is a bit of a doormat and does not really stand up for herself. Peter rules the roost and she easily gives in to him. She loves Chloe but she is overwhelmed by obsessive thoughts and fears. Her friendship with Laurel is not exactly healthy since, just like her marriage, Daphne follows wherever Laurel leads.

      For the first half of the novel, Daphne is an incredibly unreliable narrator whose grasp on reality seems rather tenuous. She has trouble differentiating between fact and fantasy. She is also unsure whether her memories can be trusted.

      Is Daphne just using Laurel's identity to escape from Peter? Or does Daphne believe she is, in fact, Laurel? Well, that question is answered when her situation takes a shocking turn and Daphne finds herself in an increasingly precarious position. Will Daphne be able to convince anyone that she is telling the truth?

      The Other Mother is an intriguing mystery where nothing or no one is quite as it first appears. Carol Goodman slowly parcels the truth through diary entries written by various characters. Although a couple of the plot twists are slightly implausible, the novel comes a stunning conclusion that is quite satisfying.
    • 1/5
      I can't believe how many good reviews this book has gotten. The plot is ridiculous, and the writing is sophomoric. One of the worst books I've read in recent memory.
    • 4/5
      Not my favorite book by this author, but entertaining nonetheless. An easy, nicely paced read.
    • 3/5
      "The Other Mother" is a decent psychological thriller that would have been better but for its far-too-pat ending.Daphne and Laurel are both first-time moms who meet in a new mothers' support group. Both have daughters named Chloe, and both have similar insecurities and frustrations about first-time motherhood. They become friends, although they are from vastly different financial backgrounds. Over time, Laurel encourages Daphne to go with her to the gym, get her hair cut and colored similar to her own, and dress similarly as well, all in the name of "improving" Daphne. Or is it?What I liked about this book was that it kept me guessing. Neither woman seems mentally stable, but who is the one who has the less altruistic intentions? And which woman really needs mental help? Lauren? Daphne? Both? Are their husbands as supportive as they appear to be on the surface, or are more sinister forces at work?The resolution was simply too far-fetched for me to swallow. It tied everything together way too snugly, considering how complex the machinations that went into everything that was happening in the book. A better ending would have earned this book 4 stars from me.
    • 5/5
      The Other MotherByCarol GoodmanWhat it's all about...I seriously don’t even know where to start with this book. It has so many twists that my head was spinning and there isn’t even that much that I feel I should tell you about it in order for you to get the full effect of this book. Daphne and Laurel...brand new mothers with really young babies...both named Chloe...one Chloe spelled with an umlaut. Let’s just say they kind of look alike but one mother has a much stronger personality than the other. They appear to be friends until an unthinkable thing happens. I don’t want to say anything about that...either! Why I wanted to read it...I read amazing reviews about this book. I also love Carol Goodman’s works. What made me truly enjoy this book...The writing, the weird and strange things that happened...once Daphne/Laurel got to Vermont...where she went to work for 6 months...there were lots of really odd but possibly arranged events...these are what made this book good...really really good. That’s why a book like this can’t really be reviewed. You just have to read it. Why you should read it, too...Readers who love a well written book that can literally be read straight through without stopping...wouldn’t this book make a great movie...will love this book. Odd and dysfunctional characters, a strange mental hospital and questionable motives on the parts of the husbands...actually on the parts of everyone involved...make this book an intense reading experience. I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
    • 4/5
      When Daphne flees her home, taking very little but her six-month-old daughter, Chloe, she isn't sure what to expect. She's leaving everything behind (including her controlling husband) to work for one of her favorite authors, Schuyler, as an archivist. She'll be living in the shadow of a mental hospital, which Schulyer's late father ran for many years. Daphne hopes this will be a new start and a way to escape both her husband and the dark moods, diagnosed as postpartum mood disorder, she felt when Chloe was born. She'll also miss her friend, Laurel, with whom she formed a tight bond after meeting in a mother's group.Get ready: this book is a crazy, bewildering ride. It will also always have the distinction of being the novel I was reading on an airplane trip to San Diego when one of my five-year-old daughters threw up. Twice. So it will be memorable in several ways. :)If you're looking for an easy, linear psychological thriller, this one may not be for you. This novel is confusing and crazy and makes you question everything you're reading. But it's an exciting, twisty thriller and a great, fast read (and a welcome distraction from vomiting children). Most of it is told in current-day descriptions from Daphne, along with excerpts from her journal from her postpartum mothers group. As Daphne meets her new boss, Schuyler, and becomes fascinated with a patient of her father's, Edith, we also eventually hear from Edith and excerpts from Edith's journal, too. The entire result is a wonderful, twisted, tale that has you frantically turning pages, trying to work things out and figure out who is who and what the heck is going on.I don't want to reveal too much, as it's best going in without too many preconceived notions. The novel has a bit of gothic in it, as many of Goodman's do, with the mental hospital looming in the background. The idea of postpartum depression and motherhood is a theme running throughout, as well.Overall, even though I was sometimes frustrated as I tried to work through this one, I wound up enjoying it. I was impressed at how things came together and enjoyed the wild ride I was on. I've loved Goodman since The Lake of Dead Languages and find myself looking forward to each new novel she releases. This one was different, but I was quite caught up in its characters and dark themes. Definitely worth a read.I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Librarything in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
    • 2/5
      Carol Goodman's novel The Other Mother is another attempt to being this season's Gone Girl. This is a very dark and depressing tale of a woman becoming unhinged, or is she? Twists and turns are supposed to be a condiment, not they entire meal. If psychological thrillers are your genre, I would instead sample Tana French or Fiona Barton.
    • 3/5
      Lots of twists and turns, sometimes confusing, in this story of two new mothers who meet in a support group, both suffering from postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder and both with babies names Chloe. For about the first two-thirds, this book had my attention. But then things took a turn for the worse, and it appeared that the author was trying too hard to make this psychological thriller work by throwing in events that just didn’t ring true.
    • 2/5
      So I was just reading along, enjoying this story of two women who both recently had a baby girl, and both named them Chloe, when I realized that I completely didn't understand what was happening in this book. Man, was this hard to follow. And I really gave it my mostly full attention.The story starts out interesting enough, and I was intrigued by the descriptions and symptoms of postpartum OCD, but so many things in this book were just too fantastical, too outrageous to really be believable. I think the author was trying too hard to make everything have a twist, and really lost sight of what good storytelling really is. If there would have been fewer "aha" moments, and a more simplified storyline and outcome I would have enjoyed this book much more. I won this book from LibraryThing.
    • 5/5
      This book opens with a real warning for women with postpartum OCD to not read this book. Even though it was included to prevent these women from killing their children, it set a spooky tone for me (a fur mom) as I read.Daphne is a new mom struggling with postpartum depression and joins a support group for help. She makes a new friend in the group who inspires her to make some life changes, some of which have startling consequences. I don't feel like I can say much more without giving the story away, but this book had twists that kept me up reading late at night. If you're a Carol Goodman fan you won't be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      I was into this book. I started it at night, which was not a good idea. This is because I was already half way through the book before I had to make myself put it down to get some sleep. Yet, I was right back picking up the book as soon as I could. When it came to Daphne; she was fine. If she had not been dealing with the mental health issue then, she would have been an average person. I am not saying that the mental health issue made her more interesting but it was the story as a whole that made Daphne intriguing. As far as psychological thrillers go, I really liked how it was subtle in the plot. It allowed me to be drawn in a little bit more and more as the story went on. I thought, I had it all figured out but then the author put a twist in the storyline that I didn't really see coming. The Other Mother is a psychological thriller that will have you losing sleep in a good way while keeping you on the edge of your seat!
    • 3/5
      I received this book through library thing in exchange for a review. I enjoyed this book. Two women meet in a support group for mothers with postpartum depression and become friends. It was hard for me to tell if the "two women" were separate or the same person. they happen to live in the same neighborhood and their daughters have the same name. hmmm. I don't want to give too much away. I didn't see the end coming until the very end.
    • 3/5
      Two young women, Daphne and Laurel, meet at a support group for new mothers dealing with postpartum disorders--not limited to depression, but, in some instances, mood disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. They find more in common than their psychological problems: both have less-than-happy marriages to dominant husbands, daughters with the same name, andsimilar careers, one as a school librarian and the other as an archivist. When one is found dead in the bathtub, the other flees--but no one believes which one she is.The Other Mother is intricately (if somewhat implausibly) plotted, with surprising twists and turns. It is very different from the other three or four of Carol Goodman's novels that I've read, and I found it less appealing. The Other Mother has helped me to conclude that psychological novels--even well-written ones such as this--are not right for me.
    • 4/5
      A real page turner, interesting premise. I don't want to spoil this book for other readers, just keep in mind to start reading when you have time to finish it, because you definitely will not be able to put it down!
    • 4/5
      3.5 A mental institution, journals and a reclusive author, sound intriguing, and this was, had atmosphere in spades. Raced through the first two thirds of the book, another one of those where you ask yourself, who to believe, what exactly is going on? Who is trust worthy, telling the truth? Where was this going? As many thrillers as I read, it was bound to happen that I read two in a row that I could compare and contrast. That had some elements that were the same, but also many that were different of course. Still, an interesting mind game for me. Anyway, this was winning in the atmosphere, suspense game, both made my head spin. Then, however, came the ending, where this one lost a little ground. It was thrilling for sure, but it was rushed, and after that provocative beginning, this was jarring. Stood out like a sore thumb. I was clueless for one big revelation, one I particularly liked, but others had me shaking my head. Wondering how this exactly came together, just didn't quite make sense.So this was good, could have been better, so let's just say, I loved the journey, more than the getting there. Still well worth a read for thrill readers, there is still much to like here.ARC from Edelweiss.
    • 4/5
      30 pages in and I was so intrigued that it took me only a day to finish this!!!. Carol Goodman knows her way around a fascinating thriller, and she has done it again. Post-par-tum OCD , which is something I am not familiar with, but Daphne and Laurel, the two women who suffer from this condition had me guessing and guessing until the very end. Who is real an who isn;t is the main theme and if you love a giant twist at the end, then this story is for you. Goodman is never a disappointment.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. Two new mothers, Daphne and Laurel, meet at a mothers group to help with their postpartum depression. A strange strong friendship develops. The story takes you for a ride from past to present, from reality to delusions. My head was spinning trying to figure out who was who and what was what. This story was quite the psychological burn and not until the very end does any of this suspenseful, twisty and twisted tale make any sense! Or does it?!! A solid 3 stars and another 1/2 for creepiness! Won from LibraryThing
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book and the twists and turns that it makes from the minute you start reading it. Great character development. Definitely a difficult and underrated subject.
    • 4/5
      This novel is not what it seems to be. And it is better a reader hears less about it before starting. Giving a summary and review is difficult without spoiling major events of the plot. Daphne arrives at the residence of a famous author with her baby, Chloe, to act as the author’s archivist. Leaving behind an abusive husband, telling only her closest friend, Laurel, where she is, Daphne is looking to gain her sense of self back after taking on her new role as mommy. Flashing between present time and Daphne’s journal entries from before, you quickly discover Daphne might be running from much more sinister. I’ll admit once I got a few pages into this novel, I was skeptical that this was going to be a predictable read. However, I persisted (and this is a novel that requires persistence) and found I fell into the story. I was intrigued by the alternating chapters between the present events and Daphne’s journal entries. It did not take long for me to start to question what was real and which characters could be trusted. With each new revelation I started to question my own sanity as well.
    • 2/5
      I started out totally invested in The Other Mother. While it was a vast stretch that both babies had the same name and so many similarities were found in Laurel and Daphne, I still found it at least a bit believable. Then I started Part 2 and things fell apart for me. I found it extremely difficult to follow the characters and who was who. I allowed myself to not think too deeply so I didn't get lost and kept reading but found it really difficult to finish because there were just too many different stories to tie together.
    • 3/5
      Goodman's The Other Mother is a psychological thriller that centers on two women experiencing post partum depression and psychosis. I thought it was a little outlandish and hard to follow at times, but I must admit that I did want to keep on reading. The characters are well developed but not very likable. Overall a decent read.
    • 3/5
      I liked some parts of this book, but overall it was hard to follow. Like another reader said, it was somewhat hard to believe. None of the characters are likeable or in depth to the point you become attached. It wasn't a bad book but I didn't finish it and think I would tell everyone about it either. I truly looked forward to reading this book, I only choose books I think I will enjoy, so I was kind of saddened when it wasn't what I expected. If you like psychological somewhat thrillers, this one is just that... many twists.
    • 4/5
      The Other Mother is a psychological thriller dealing with postpartum mood disorders. Daphne and Laurel are new mothers who meet in a support group and quickly form a close attachment. There are multiple twists and turns in their relationship and the uncertainty adds to the confusion of identities and the issues of paranoia. The story will keep the reader guessing until the very end.