The Perfect Mother
Nina Darnton, 2014
Penguin/Plume
240 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780142196731
Summary
When a beloved daughter acts against her privileged upbringing, her devoted mother’s worst fears play out, as their American family is pulled into the international spotlight.
Inspired by the infamous Amanda Knox case, and reminiscent of William Landay’s Defending Jacob, novelist Nina Darnton examines the complex questions of how well do we know our children—and how far would we go to protect them—in the riveting novel The Perfect Mother.
A midnight phone call shatters Jennifer Lewis’s carefully orchestrated life. Her daughter, Emma, who’s studying abroad in Spain, has been arrested after the brutal murder of another student. Jennifer rushes to her side, certain the arrest is a terrible mistake and determined to do whatever necessary to bring Emma home.
As details of the crime emerge, an examination of Emma’s lifestyle reveals risqué photos and a drug-dealing boyfriend. The police formally charge Emma and the press leaps on the story, drawing its own conclusions. One by one, Emma’s defense team, her father, and finally even Jennifer begin to question her innocence. How well did she truly know her daughter? Was Emma capable of doing the unthinkable? Can Jennifer shake off her doubts and stand by her daughter?
The Perfect Mother is a darkly imaginative thriller that probes the dark side of parenthood and the complicated bond between mothers and daughters. (From the publisher.)