His Mother's Son - by Cai Emmons (Paperback)

About the Book

To those who meet Jana Thomas, hers seems a perfect life, with a beautiful home, a successful career, a loving husband, and a darling son. But inside, Jana is crumbling. The real source of Jana's disintegration is a past she has kept buried for 16 years.

Book Synopsis

To those who meet Jana Thomas, hers seems a perfect life, with a beautiful home, a successful career as an ER doctor, a loving husband, and a darling six-year-old son named Evan. But inside, Jana is crumbling. Evan's seemingly normal all-boy tendencies are escalating her motherly worry into something close to hysteria, threatening her job, her marriage, and even her relationship with her son.
The real source of Jana's disintegration is a past she has kept buried for sixteen years. When that past begins to bleed into the present, Jana is forced to plunge into the emotional whirlpool she left behind-with results that are shattering, profound, and wrenchingly moving.
Reminiscent of Sue Miller and Jane Hamilton, Cai Emmons's extraordinary first novel strikes a fine balance between keen psychological observation and page-turning momentum.

From the Back Cover

Suspenseful, edgy, and exact, His Mother's Son explores the dark country between what we know and how we are nonetheless compelled to behave. Beautifully written, compulsively readable."--Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander
To those who meet Jana Thomas, hers seems a perfect life, with a beautiful home, a successful career as an ER doctor, a loving husband, and a lively six-year-old son named Evan. But inside, Jana is crumbling. Evan's seemingly normal all-boy tendencies are escalating her motherly worry into something close to hysteria, threatening her job, her marriage, and even her relationship with her son.
The real source of Jana's disintegration is a past she has kept buried for sixteen years. When that past begins to bleed into the present, Jana is forced to plunge into the emotional whirlpool she left behind with results that are shattering, profound, and wrenchingly moving.

"Emmons . . . has an eye for the grating intimacy of small-town life and a fine ear for suggestive metaphors. . . . Unusual and memorable."--The Economist

"Lovely writing . . . Emmons' emphasis is on her characters, and she draws them well."--Seattle Times

Cai Emmons has written for the stage, film, and television. She lives in Eugene, Oregon, where she teaches at the University of Oregon. She is the mother of a son.
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Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR HIS MOTHER'S SON
"Gripping. Brings home the power and terror of maternal love."-O Magazine

"Lovely writing . . . Emmons' emphasis is on her characters, and she draws them well."-Seattle Times