Does Your Mother Know?

Alicia Kerfoot is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English and
Cultural Studies at McMaster University.

Maureen Jennings’ latest mystery novel follows forensic profiler Christine Morris on a journey of self-discovery. This focus leads to a very internal narrative, which fails to adequately develop plot in some places because the narrator is so concerned about her own identity.

The story begins as Morris travels to Scotland for a conference, only to find that her mother is also in that part of the world and is in serious trouble. This rather unconvincing coincidence results in a slightly awkward beginning for the story, but also allows the reader to delve directly into the action of the plot. As an introduction to a recurring character, the book works quite well because of the central role of Morris’s mother in the plot. There is also a good sense of where Morris’s character originates from, as Jennings works hard to emphasize Morris’s past experiences in the Toronto police force. However, this focus on the detective and her mother also seems to engulf other possibilities for plot or character development.

If you enjoy a well-told story about maternal relations and mysterious coincidences then this book is a fairly good way to spend an afternoon. However, if you are looking for a page-turner of a police procedural or copious amounts of forensic profiling detail then it might be better to choose other reading material. The setting is also a little distracting. Although the author does her best to make the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides realistic, some of the local dialogue and characters seem overstated and unrealistic.

The strongest points of Jennings’ narrative are her characterization of Morris’s mother, Joan, as a rebellious and yet childish older woman, and the internal turmoil that Morris experiences as she begins to see herself as part of the Scottish landscape and her mother’s world.