My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley

 

This is the story of Bridget and Helen Grant, daughter and mother.  Bridget's parents divorced when she was young and she and her sister saw her father less and less often so they were mainly raised by Helen.  Helen is narcissistic, finding ways to make every situation about her.  The wants and needs of the girls are far down on her scale and she only wants their adoration.

As adults, both the girls have moved away and have little to do with their mother.  Bridget, who lives in London with her partner, sees Helen about once a year.  Helen does what she can to make friends.  She goes to anything free; galley openings, lectures, club gatherings.  As social as she is, she has few if only friends, others sensing the vast cavern within Helen that she expects others to fill.

As Helen gets older, she wants more from her girls and they reluctantly do what they can as Helen's health falters and then crashes.  Yet even as they face losing their mother forever, the women know that they must protect their own core and the lives they have built without her.

Gwendoline Riley is an English author whose books have won acclaim.  They tend to be short and to the point, outlining lives in an unsparing fashion.  This novel in particular may be helpful to those struggling to separate from overpowering parents when they are adults.  Bridget manages to move away and build a satisfactory life without her mother but her interactions with her are sharp and some readers will be uncomfortable with them.  This book is recommended for literary and women's fiction readers.