Mormoma - So NOW the Title Makes Sense!

TITLE: Mormama
AUTHOR: Kit Reed
PUBLISHER: Tor Books
PUBLISHING DATE: May 30, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: MORMAMA is a riveting supernatural, southern gothic tale from Kit Reed. Readers of Joyce Carol Oates and James M. Cain will enjoy this unnerving tale.

Dell Duval has been living on the street since his accident. He can't remember who he was or where he came from. All he has is a tattered note in his pocket with an address for the Ellis house, a sprawling, ancient residence in Jacksonville. He takes up residence under the house in the basement unknown to the residents upstairs. He just needs time to figure out why he's been sent here.

In the house, Lane and her son Theo have returned to the family home—their last resort after Lane's husband cleans out her bank account and leaves. The old house is ruled by an equally ancient trio of tyrannical aunts, who want to preserve everything. Nothing should leave the house, including Lane.

Something about the house isn't right. Things happen to the men and boys living there. There are forces at work one of which visits Theo each night—Mormama, one mama too many.

MY THOUGHTS: 
So basically I don't think this book is getting many good reviews but I really enjoyed it and am glad I picked it up. There are numerous characters in "Mormama" and the story often flashes back so the reader can learn more about the historic Ellis house and its inhabitants, past and present. Years ago the home was built for Minette, who married into the Ellis family, but was basically spoiled rotten (and extremely ungrateful) since birth by her maternal grandmother. Minette abandoned her own mother who eventually moves in with Minette, her husband, and their numerous children when she becomes financially destitute. When she arrives, Minette's husband tells his children she is "One more mama than the house needed." Thus the name of the book (and was I glad that was cleared up early).

Catastrophe strikes the Ellis family members through the years and one believes Minette may have actually been taken over by an evil spirit who then made everyone else miserable. Men in the Ellis house REALLY don't fare well. A man names Dell wakes up in the hospital one day with no memory of who he is and the address to the Ellis house in his pocket. He begins living in the basement while trying to find out his connection to the family and meets up with Lane and her son Theo, who have moved in with Lane's great aunts after her husband left her high and dry. So are you getting the impression at this point in the review that there is a lot going on in this book? Well, truer words have rarely been spoken. The horror and the mystery continue to unravel as the book progresses and Theo is tormented by Mormama. But is she an evil presence or a helpful entity?

This Southern Gothic tale is probably not for everyone. Reed's writing style does take some getting used to and the book jumps from POV to POV. Funny story which proves this point. At one point my Kindle somehow jumped ahead to a chapter and I read it and then realized it said 96% done when I had just been at 48%. I went back, picked up where I left off, and was no worse for wear. I'm not sure what that says about the book in general but many will argue it isn't good. There is also a lot of foul language in the book but that doesn't really bother me much - especially in a horror tale. However, I was really engrossed in finding out Mormama's purpose, learning all about the Ellis family, and discovering how this book could ever present me with a satisfying ending.

About the ending, I do feel it was sort of rushed and I wasn't happy about one main element of it but overall, I'm glad I gave "Mormama" a chance. This isn't a book that has me rushing out to read everything else ever written by this author, but I definitely recommend it to readers who don't mind a slow burn horror.

I received this book from Netgalley and the published in exchange for an honest review. 

RATING: 4 PAWS