Book blurb…
It's 1969, and while the summer of love lingers in London, Gilda is consumed by the mistakes of her past. She walked out on her beloved son Reuben when he was just a boy and fears he'll never forgive her.

When Reuben marries a petite blonde gentile, Gilda takes it as the ultimate rejection. Her cold, distant son seems transformed by love - a love she's craved his entire adult life. What does his new wife have that she doesn't? And how far will she go to find out?

It's an obsession that will bring shocking truths about the past to light . . .

Bitter is a beautiful and devastating novel about the decisions that define our lives, the fragility of love and the bond between mother and son.

My thoughts…

In the book blurb the words "beautiful and devastating" are used to describe this novel and they certainly sum up the story for me.

Gilda’s life is so pathetically sad there were times I did not want to read on. I remain unsure who should hold the responsibility for the misery both Gilda and her son experience, but if not for Reubin's wife, Alice, both the main characters lives would have been lost to each other. And that would have been even sadder.

While far from a ‘happy’ story, the novel is well written and plotted, the characters well-described and certainly evoked emotions for me as the reader.

A riveting historical thriller set in London in the 1960s - this is a story about love and obsession that left me feeling emotionally devastated and mentally exhausted.

Stylish and elegant writing combined with the disturbing subject matter makes this quite and enthralling read. You may not be able to put it down, but be warned it will destroy your emotions!

EXCERPT: It's been two whole weeks since they came back from honeymoon. Three weeks now, since the wedding. When I call he's out or busy and he never calls me back. Perhaps I've been ringing too often but I don't know what else I can do. Alice says she's sorry I 've missed him. I'm starting to wonder if that's true. She's always just a little too cheerful; her apology a little too pat.

It feels like they've shut the world out, those two. They only need each other. But I 'm his mother, shouldn't they let me in?

ABOUT THIS BOOK: It's 1969, and while the summer of love lingers in London, Gilda is consumed by the mistakes of her past. She walked out on her beloved son Reuben when he was just a boy and fears he'll never forgive her.

When Reuben marries a petite blonde gentile, Gilda takes it as the ultimate rejection. Her cold, distant son seems transformed by love - a love she's craved his entire adult life. What does his new wife have that she doesn't? And how far will she go to find out? It's an obsession that will bring shocking truths about the past to light . . .

Bitter is a beautiful and devastating novel about the decisions that define our lives, the fragility of love and the bond between mother and son.

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this read and resented every moment I had to put it down. Jakobi has written a gentle story with a palpable air of menace, a sinister undertone.

Written over two timelines, we have Gilda in the now (1969), anxiously observing her son and his new wife, and the backstory of Gilda growing up, marrying, bearing her son, and finally falling in love.

There is so much more to Gilda's story than the publicity blurb indicates, and so much more to Gilda herself than we first realise. I don't know a mother anywhere who won't be able to relate to Gilda on some level, who hasn't at some point experienced some guilt or regret over the raising of their child, and who only wants to make it better.

Bitter is a touching and poignant story, written with a deep understanding of human emotions. It shows that the face we present to the world is not always our real face, that underneath we may be someone totally different.

Highly recommended. This is a book that I will read again.

Thank you to Hachette Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Bitter by Francesca Jakobi for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

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Loved this book. Kept me entertained throughout the tale.