Blurb:

Helen Grant is a mystery to her daughter. An extrovert with few friends who has sought intimacy in the wrong places; a twice-divorced mother-of-two now living alone surrounded by her memories, Helen (known to her acquaintances as ‘Hen’) has always haunted Bridget.

Now, Bridget is an academic in her forties. She sees Helen once a year, and considers the problem to be contained. As she looks back on their tumultuous relationship – the performances and small deceptions – she tries to reckon with the cruelties inflicted on both sides. But when Helen makes it clear that she wants more, it seems an old struggle will have to be replayed.

From the prize-winning author of First Love, My Phantoms is a bold, heart-stopping portrayal of a failed familial bond, which brings humour, subtlety and new life to the difficult terrain of mothers and daughters.

Review:

I first heard about My Phantoms from Sara Pascoe on Between The Covers and I was really intrigued. It’s not the kind of book I would usually be drawn to, but I loved Gwendoline Riley’s writing style – the way she describes such a poignant relationship with such beautiful language, so much emotion and some gentle humour. 

My Phantoms is very much a character driven novel, and Gwendoline Riley has very cleverly observed the complexities of a fractured mother and daughter relationship. The characters of Hen and Bridget are well drawn and it’s clear that the author wants her readers to know the characters in as much detail as possible. I actually felt sympathy for both mother and daughter in the story, although as the story is told entirely from Bridget’s perspective, I was mindful that the narrative is a little one sided. 

On the face of it, My Phantoms is a simple novel, but there is so much more going on under the surface than I can cover in a short review. The themes include marriage and divorce, the role of women, grief and mental health, which are often explored in quite a subtle way, but it makes for a very rich reading experience. Although the novel is quite short, there is a lot packed into it and I found it to be very impactful. 
I listened to My Phantoms through Audible and the narrator was fantastic. She brought the characters to life wonderfully and I loved Hen’s Scouse accent.

My Phantoms is available from Amazon.