The Mother Fault

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The Mother Fault

By: Kate Mildenhall

Narrated by: Claudia Karvan

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About this listen

The breakout novel called ‘a triumph’ by Jane Harper, The Mother Fault is the riveting tale of one woman taking on the world to save her own.

‘A triumph of a novel. Five stars. I loved it. Thrilling, confronting, page-turning and heartbreakingly poignant, The Mother Fault is a remarkable story.' Jane Harper, bestselling author of The Dry

Mim’s husband is missing. No one knows where Ben is, but everyone wants to find him – especially the Department. And they should know, the all-seeing government body has fitted the entire population with a universal tracking chip to keep them ‘safe’.

But suddenly Ben can’t be tracked. And Mim is questioned, made to surrender her passport and threatened with the unthinkable – her two children being taken into care at the notorious BestLife.

From the stark backroads of the Australian outback to a terrifying sea voyage, Mim is forced to shuck off who she was – mother, daughter, wife, sister – and become the woman she needs to be to save her family and herself.

Longlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year

‘Sublime . . . a timely, riveting, warning bell of a book.’ Books+Publishing

‘Brilliant. A raw, urgent, white-knuckle ride through a world only a heartbeat away’ James Bradley, author of Ghost Species

‘Clever, political, pacy and exciting. Pure diamond-edged propulsive power.’ Chris Flynn, author of Mammoth

‘Shook me to my core. I could not put it down’ Alice Robinson, author of The Glad Shout

‘A clarion call, wrapped in vivid prose, inside a truly thrilling read’ Angela Savage, author of Behind the Night Bazaar

‘An unvarnished, beautifully written, totally authentic tribute to the everyday badassery and bullshit of motherhood, to the ordinary extraordinariness of women. It’s also a fast-paced edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth adventure with an ending worthy of a Homeland season finale.’ Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place

'A literary thriller that speaks precisely, devastatingly, to its time.' The Monthly

'Kate Mildenhall has imagined a world as terrifying and visionary as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead, with the pace of the best thrillers – and characters I’ll never forget. This is a novel of rare insight from a rising literary star.' J.P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie

'The true power of this novel is in its appalling plausibility. That, and the fact that it is impossible to put down.’ Readings Monthly

Dystopian

Fiction

Science Fiction

Thriller & Suspense

Women's Fiction

Marriage

Exciting

Heartfelt

Scary

Suspense

Critic Reviews

‘From the first few pages, I knew I was going to be finishing The Mother Fault the same day I had started. Kate Mildenhall has imagined a world as terrifying and visionary as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead, with the pace of the best thrillers – and characters I’ll never forget. This is a novel of rare insight from a rising literary star.’ (J.P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie and In the Clearing)

‘The Mother Fault is a clarion call, wrapped in vivid prose, inside a truly thrilling read. Mildenhall has written a page-turner that also delivers on beautiful language, vivid characterisation and emotional complexity. It is a sensual delight. When I wasn’t gasping in suspense, I was sighing with pleasure at the dazzling prose. I felt so close to Mim, I wanted alternately to shout at her and cheer her on. A novel for our times.’ (Angela Savage, author of Mother of Pearl and Behind the Night Bazaar)

‘In The Mother Fault, Kate Mildenhall has achieved that rare thing – a book that at once tackles the big issues and is an addictive page-turner. The near-future Mildenhall has created is not only believable but disturbingly familiar. At its heart is a timeless story of motherhood – an expert and moving portrayal of the lengths a mother will go to in order to save her family. A smart, confronting and compelling read.’ (Melanie Cheng, author of Australia Day and Room for a Stranger)

‘Kate Mildenhall raises big questions in this riveting thriller about the moral reckoning that will be demanded of us by future generations for our actions and inaction. But at the heart of The Mother Fault is a deeply human tale, one that prevails against and rises above political agendas: the need to protect those we love. This is exactly the kind of story we need right now; one that observes with lacerating honesty what we risk becoming.’ (Sally Piper, author of The Geography of Friendship and Grace’s Table)

‘The Mother Fault looks unflinchingly into a terrifyingly plausible future. I could barely catch my breath while reading . . . The Australia Mildenhall conjures is at once recognisable and destabilising, beautiful and horrific, taut and emotionally resonant. It shook me to my core. I could not put it down.’ (Alice Robinson, author of Anchor Point and The Glad Shout)

‘A shattering lightning bolt of a book.’ (Karen Viggers, author of The Lightkeeper’s Wife)

‘Compelling and deeply human. The Mother Fault is an urgent call from a future which is at once terrifying and familiar. The mother of the title — the gutsy, flawed, heroic Mim — is a triumph. She will stay with you long after you finish this compelling, visceral and very human story.’ (Kristina Olsson, award-winning author of Shell and Boy, Lost)

‘Brilliant. A raw, urgent, white-knuckle ride through a world only a heartbeat away' (James Bradley, author of Clade and Ghost Species)

Most relevant

Love Claudia Karvan’s narration. Despite a slight lull in the middle, The Mother Fault is a great story with flawed yet interesting characters. Enjoyed it!