Following the release of her debut novel, If They Could See Me Now back in 2017, showbiz personality Denise Welch returns with her second fictional outing, The Mother's Bond. This past weekend, we finally got the time to sit back for a few hours and give it a readthrough, and we're happy to say Denise hasn't just replicated the success of her debut, but improved on it exponentially.
Denise Welch returns with her second novel
This is a story very different to the first one she told. The characters involved are as realistic and sometimes as relatable than the ones in If They Could See Me Now, but the journey we go on with them is unlike anything we experienced in that book. Yes, it's a women's fiction and a family drama, but one that's often untouched in the world of fiction.
Kathryn Casey is a woman with a secret past. Once known as the youngster Kelly, she grew up on a rough estate with an emotionally abusive and manipulative mother, but a nanna who would have moved the world for her, given the opportunity.
On one night which could turn out to be one of the best in her life, Kelly is faced with a traumatic event that changes her future forever. Not only is there a physical danger as a result of this, but a danger of her life following the same path of her mother's. Suddenly, the passion she has for learning and making something of herself is completely drained, and she's left wondering if she'll ever find the willpower to carve out a successful personal narrative.
The Mother's Bond showcases the experiences many of us can have when we continue to tell small lies to those that we love. They may start off as convenient and insignificant mistruths, but once combined, we can find ourselves struggling to keep up appearances and maintain the web that we have weaved.
Kathryn's later life is a result of all of the above, and though at times you feel like you want to reach into the pages of the story and give her a shake, you can understand the motivation and reasoning behind everything she does.
Denise does a fantastic job of not only touching on important and topical subjects throughout this novel, but digging deeply into them and attempting to break the stigma surrounding them. She's a talented author, and should be celebrated as such.
The Mother's Bond by Denise Welch is available now. Denise's debut novel If They Could See Me Now is also available.
Tagged in Denise Welch