by Nina Manning
Ben had an older sister and brother and a younger brother. I was introduced to Emma, Sean and Conner.
Jenny had a strong Irish accent and kept calling him Mikee before stopping herself. But Ben said it was okay, we’d work something out.
She apologised over and over again for letting him go. For turning away for long enough for him to slip away.
Ben told her he didn’t blame her. And that he always knew.
She hadn’t stopped searching for him for over twenty years.
Because the bond between a mother and son is a special one.
It remains unchanged by time or distance.
It is the purest love – unconditional and true.
It is understanding of any situation.
And forgiving of any mistake.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Amanda Preston, for being the first person to read a very different version of The Daughter In Law. You encouraged me to use my knowledge of psychology and write the book the way it should have been written.
Thank you, Hannah Richell, for your advice on writing with babies and prologues and for your blogs on grief and loss. Your words and strength continue to inspire me.
Sarah, Geraldine and Sue, you are all as obsessed with books as I am, so thank you for finding me and never leaving! Thanks for the fantastic chats, all the reading weekends and delicious grub. Thanks, Sue, for reading a very rough first version of the book and still saying it was good!
Darling Kat, you are my sister from another mister, thanks for giving me the best reaction when I told you I was being published. Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbour!
Massive thanks to Kate Nash and Lina Langlee, my wonderful agents, for believing in my writing, supporting me throughout and working so quickly and efficiently to find me the best publishing deal.
Thank you to Amanda and all the team at Boldwood for seeing potential in me and having me as part of the team. I’m so thrilled and excited for what’s to come. Thank you, Nia, for being my first editor, for setting the bar so high and encouraging me to dig deeper.
I would like to give special thanks to my parents. To my dad for being a grafter and showing me how to work hard in life and for his inspirational sense of wonderment. I know he would be proud of my achievements. Thanks, Mum, for supporting me on my journey, holding the fort and for always taking us to the library as kids. I still get the same thrill now as an adult whenever I walk into a room full of books that I can take home and read for free!
Chris, thanks for always listening, championing me and being my number one fan. Also for the packets of munchies in the final editing stages.
Savannah, Bodhi and Huxley, my beautiful babies who teach me how to be a better person every day. At such tender ages you have shown so much interest and respect for my writing. Thank you for being brilliant kids and letting me read to you and do all the silly voices.
Finally, thank you to all you readers who have picked up this, my first book and supported me on my writing journey. I hope I can continue to write more books that you will enjoy.
Book Club Questions
Although Annie wanted a child badly, her own traumatic childhood meant she displayed signs of covert narcissistic abuse towards Ben. How did she manipulate him as a child and as an adult?
Some themes in the book are the mother and son relationship, anxiety and depression, friendships and love. Did you recognise these or any other themes within the book and where did you see them featuring in the novel?
The Daughter-in-Law is written in the style of the unreliable narrator. At what point did you decide that Annie was hiding more than Daisy?
Daisy’s flashbacks to her childhood show that she was neglected emotionally by her parents. What implications did this have on her relationship with Callum and what were the repercussions of that relationship?
Annie talks about how Jenny and Daisy were very similar in the way they looked and presented themselves. It is thought that we often unconsciously seek out a partner who bears a resemblance in some way to a parent. Discuss.
Did you feel sorry for Annie in the end?
More from Nina Manning
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About the Author
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. The Daughter in Law is her debut psychological thriller. She lives in Dorset.
https://www.ninamanningauthor.com/
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About Boldwood Books
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First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Nina Manning, 2019
Cover design by Nick Castle Design
The moral right of Nina Manning to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-83889-216-6
Ebook ISBN 978-1-83889-218-0
Kindle ISBN 978-1-83889-217-3
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-83889-254-8
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-83889-352-1
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-83889-215-9
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