*作者Annie Macmanus (Annie Mac)是一位知名的BBC电台主持人，本书适合喜欢伍绮诗（Celeste Ng）的《无声告白》或《星星之火》这类关于家庭、秘密以及悲伤主题小说的读者

"We all know Annie as someone who oozes warmth, down-to-earth authenticity, and the sharpest intuition when it comes to creative expression. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that she’s managed to write a book like Mother Mother, which is so powerful and human, and has such emotional heart that I’ve literally cried at every draft I’ve read. We’re so excited to introduce Annie Macmanus, the author, to the world." -- senior commissioning editor Ella Gordon 

姓名：玛丽·玛格丽特·麦康奈尔

年龄：35岁

外貌描述：身材瘦削、棕红色的头发、绿色的眼睛

最后出现的地点：贝尔法斯特 普维斯路42 号

18岁的TJ在派出所报人口失踪时，发现自己对母亲的认识好像仅止于此。除了家人之外，她还有哪些朋友？她可能会去哪些地方？她为什么要闹失踪？……面对警官的一系列盘问，TJ一无所知，因为母亲不爱谈论自己，又或许是因为他不曾对她的事情产生过好奇心。他无法想象母亲在家庭和工作之外还有其他的生活，而且比起母亲，他更渴望认识自己的父亲——那个从未在他生命中出现过的父亲。

当寻找母亲的责任全都落在TJ一个人的肩上时，他回想起自己与母亲的对话、回想起自己的童年经历，并从母亲身边为数不多的同事和朋友口中打听了一些线索，试图拼凑出母亲失踪的真相，玛丽波澜起伏的前半生也就此展开。17岁的那场强奸成了她永远无法摆脱的恶梦，同时也让她找到了活下去的意义——她成为了一个母亲，并发誓要让自己的孩子感受到她从小缺失的母爱。但这份沉重的爱始终让TJ感受到束缚，也使玛丽画地为牢，一步步走向深渊。

这是一部关于母性、关于生命起航处的坠毁，以及个体面对集体意识的无力的小说。全书以贝尔法斯特为故事背景，试图摸索三代人在历史中确立主体位置的艰难尝试，而玛丽的故事作为主轴，在三条叙事线的交叉剪辑中渐渐拼贴得丰满，吸引读者一字不落地读完全文。无论是从主题还是写作技巧上看，这无疑是一部超越新人等级的作品。

关于作者：

Annie Macmanus是国际知名的 DJ、广播员及活动策展人。从她进入BBC Radio 1至今已有近17 年的时间，期间她担任了Future Sounds音乐节目的主持人，也经常在英国各地的音乐节担任主持人。近来，为了抽出更多时间陪伴孩子，她辞去了BBC的主持工作，转行写了自己的第一部小说，同时也开了一档播客Changes with Annie Macmanus，与不同艺术家、作家和音乐家探讨他们对于人生中一些巨大变化的看法和应对方法。

好评：

“Prepare to fall in love with Mary, to want to reach right into the pages and hold her as a child and help her as an adult. Mother Mother is a brilliant book that takes you with it on a journey of struggle, friendship and forgiveness that explores the brutal legacy of addiction and the consequences of a deep grief left to stagnate“ - Sara Cox

“I loved this book and felt powerfully connected to every character I met within its pages. Tender and deeply felt, it's a beautiful portrayal of the pain and beauty of normal life, told in hauntingly lyrical prose. Poignant and beautifully observed, it was a novel that stayed with me a long time, reminding me again and again of the secrets hidden within the most seemingly normal lives, and the awe-inspiring power and resilience of women everywhere“ - Clover Stroud

“A hugely entertaining and emotional story about intergenerational loss and love, trauma and acceptance. Macmanus writes with flair and confidence rarely seen in a debut“ - Sinead Gleeson

“Macmanus' immersive novel reminds us that the minutiae of daily struggles are always worth homing in on. Her meditative, considered writing constantly pulls us towards the messy experience of life itself, where there is hope to be found in the grind of intergenerational trauma, and beauty amongst the brokenness. This is a work of gilded melancholy that is going to take everyone by surprise“ - Una Mullally

“I adored it. I loved the characters and stories, and I became completely immersed in that world. It's so beautifully written... Moving and brilliant“ - Emily Eavis

“A brave and occasionally heartbreaking portrait of a family falling apart and the woman who's been holding them all together for far too long. Macmanus' debut novel is assured, evocative and, like her characters, full of gentle strength“ - Jan Carson

“Superb... [Macmanus is] brilliant at voice and motivation and the (historic and emotional) passage of time; at making households so vivid you know their smell. Can't recommend enough“ - Laura Snapes,