Sins of the Mother

annette — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Will we eventually be accountable for the decisions we made in the past? This is essentially the idea that Murray explores throughout her book Sins of the Mother. Through the use of multiple first-person narratives, Murray follows the actions and reactions of her characters after the young daughter of her protagonist and converted sinner, Jasmine Bush, is kidnapped.

I only realised half-way through reading the book that Sins of the Mother is the fifth instalment by Murray to follow Jasmine Larson Bush. Though I consider it a stand-alone book, and have not read any of her previous work, many of the references to Jasmine’s “sin-filled” past, without much follow-up substantiating these references, led me to believe that there were earlier instalments.

Sins of the Mother explores the struggle of faith that Jasmine Larson Bush and her family encounter upon the abduction of her young daughter. Primarily a Christian book, Murray’s characters have their faith, their relationship with God and with each other, put to the test as they search relentlessly and almost hopelessly for Jacqueline. As this book is a continuation of Jasmine’s life, it is predominantly a story of her spiritual development.

I found this book gripping, and quite a page-turner in its suspense, and the strength of the characters born out of their faith, quite admirable. However, I found a lot more aspects of the book frustrating and lacking. One of the most notable aspects of this book is its reference to an African-American, Christian community in New York City. Jasmine is the wife of the pastor of one of the largest churches, and because of this status has the respect and awe of her community. It was frustrating that there were multiple references to money, opulent lifestyles and spending habits, and importance put on status in the community as opposed to character development. Jasmine came off as a fickle woman, who thrived in her role as the wife of an important pastor and the mother of his children. Jasmine’s success was that she was the wife of someone important. Her character was shallow and after the abduction of her daughter, the stereotype of the neurotic damsel in distress who depends on the comfort and strength of men to console her.

Murray writes this book from several character perspectives, allowing for the “development” of several characters whose lives are intertwined and immediately impacted by Jacqueline’s abduction. However, the characters weren’t very complex, their reactions to their circumstances predictable and their roles stereotypical, and I found the multiple first-person narratives made the story drag on for much longer than it needed to. The emphasis on a glitz and glamour lifestyle as adding value to one’s life, particularly for up and coming Christians, limited character development, and the incessant references to sex, money and the status that comes with having it, is the biggest shortcoming of this book. Women in this book are mothers, partners and wives. Other than the character Alexis, who tries to exert her autonomy, but to little avail, women are as strong as the men who support them, and their identities thusly defined.

Written by: Toni Francis, October 1st 2010

Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband’s Violent Revenge

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:29:00 +0000

By Caitlin Rother, John Hess

Jossey-Bass

“Stranger than fiction” is the most accurate way to describe the premise for this book about married FBI agents. The wife has a lesbian affair with a crime novel author, and the husband kidnaps and later tries to kill his wife. And yet, it’s a true story! Having never heard of this case before, I could not put the book down and found myself eager to get to the end to see how it all turned out.

The book tells the complex story of an abusive relationship between Gene and Margo Bennett, as well as their personal, professional, and legal troubles. Evidence of Gene’s emotional abuse towards his wife is presented early in the book, and starts to draw the outline of the picture that’s yet to come. He carries out a scam to get money from the F.B.I., and is prosecuted when Margo decides to divorce him and reports the incident. A power struggle starts as he seeks revenge for her betrayal and her affair with Patricia Cornwell, a famous author. He kidnaps her to make her lie in court and clear his name, but is still convicted. When he gets out of jail, he carries out an elaborate and bizarre plan to frame her for murder and attempts to kill her. Ultimately, Gene is found guilty on several charges, including attempted murder, and sentenced to twenty-three years and ten years of probation. The book wraps up by describing the aftermath of the trial and its effect on Margo and her two daughters.

One of the problems with the book is that it’s told primarily through the perspective of Margo, but this is because the author attempted to contact Gene, but he did not agree to participate. The writing itself is awkward at times, which doesn’t help the fact that the story unfolds itself is hard to keep up with. There are so many names and places to keep track of, yet they are sometimes mentioned without a reminder about how we should know who or what the author is referring to.

These problems, however, are minor when compared to the important themes raised in the book. Because Margo was raised to be ashamed of homosexuality and bisexuality, she viewed her relationships with women as innocent experimentation. She even viewed her affair with Patricia Cornwell as separate from any pattern that would make her label herself as a lesbian. The homophobia and bias against homosexuality in the Virginia justice system is also mentioned several times throughout the book.

Gene’s abuse towards Margo, along with her ignorance about what was happening in her marriage, is the perfect example of how abuse works. It seems that no matter how severe the abuse and torment, the blame still falls on the victim. In fact, this situation shows that the more severe the abuse, the more blame a victim might receive. Why didn’t she know better? She was an FBI agent after all... How could she not see the signs in her own relationship? Why did she let it go that far? All of these are questions echoed throughout the book by her peers, and all demonstrate why these stories need to be told. It should go without saying that there is great motivation to disconnect one’s own relationship from the scenarios and “what ifs” that a person hears about, and yet these questions often come up.

At its core, this book is about abuse and sexual repression—two themes that could certainly use more attention and discussion, especially when they reflect a true story and not a work of fiction.

Written by: frau sally benz, July 26th 2009

kidnapping

Sins of the Mother

Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband’s Violent Revenge