For the first few chapters, at least, I felt sorry for Tess Clarke. She's in the hospital after being stabbed, and her son Jamie - who celebrated his 8th birthday the previous day - has gone missing. That's on top of losing her husband Mark in an airplane accident a few months earlier, so needless to say, she's a bit of a physical and emotional mess (emphasis on the latter). Making matters worse, she's sure that Mark's brother Ian, and Shelley, her grief counselor, are in cahoots and have absconded with the child. So why isn't anybody listening?The story proceeds to outline day by day, starting 55 days before Jamie's birthday party, the things that happen in Tess's life after the tragic loss of her husband. We see her bond almost instantly with Shelley, who lost a young son who closely resembles Jamie (hmmm, a clue, perhaps)? We hear Ian's constant insistence that Tess, as executrix to Mark's estate, should get on with the paperwork because Mark owes him a substantial amount of money that Ian desperately needs (aha, another clue)?. We also watch Tess's relentless, over-the-top angst, about which I'll say this: Somewhere around the 39th day prior to the birthday bash, I stopped feeling sorry for her and started to root for Shelley and Ian.
Even if you can't work up a lot of empathy for Tess, though, this is a good "mess with your head" story. I tried to guess at the ending and missed; honestly, that actually makes me happier with the outcome. This is a great beach read - yep, there's still time before the kiddies head back to school - and overall a quite enjoyable one. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-publication copy.
The Perfect Son by Lauren North (Berkley, August 2019); 368 pp.
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