Why I Had to Murder my Mother
A Memoir
by Katharine Leppard
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Pub Date Feb 28 2025 | Archive Date Apr 03 2025
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Description
A story of love, hate and power, and how Katharine’s mother interfered, intruded and meddled with her life, and tried to control it at all costs for over five decades.
Aged just eight, Katharine’s world falls apart when her mother discovers her father’s affair. The family dynamics are changed forever. As the matriarch gathers strength, the family wilts beneath her. But Katharine loves her mother and continues to support her throughout her adult life, impressed by her determination, her looks and style, wit and charisma.
From the breakdown of ‘normal’ family life in 1964, Katharine begins a super-strict, military-style upbringing at home and boarding school, followed by expulsion in the seventies and total rebellion in the eighties; a career in the music industry; and her on-going struggle with her sexuality.
There are tears, there’s rage. There are periods of separation caused by her mother’s refusal to accept her long-term relationship with her partner. Meanwhile her parents battle on with their own deeply broken relationship.
It’s not until her father’s death that Katharine has a light-bulb moment and her resentment and rage at her mother causes her mental stability to get rocked to the core, and just at a time when her mother is (possibly) showing signs of dementia. Can she control herself or is she going to murder her mother?
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781836287667 |
| PRICE | £4.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Angel D, Reviewer
Thank you to Netgalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Katherine's story broke me. Like really put me in a place mentally. Working with Dementia patients for a lot of my life I have seen so many of the things that Katharine experienced. I love that she loved her mother even when it felt as though her mother didn't love her. What a great read.
Mike M, Media/Journalist
A book like this about such serious trauma is difficult to read, but this one captured me from the very beginning. Good read.
Nicole K, Reviewer
Thanks to Netgalley and Troubador publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I went into reading this memoir blind, based on the title alone I was intrigued to read it. It was such a raw and at times heartbreaking read. Katharine explores the more often than not toxic relationship she had with her mother throughout her childhood and into adulthood and how her mother also manipulated her into not having much of a relationship with her father also. Through it all we see how more than anything Katharine just wants love and acceptance from her mother and a better relationship with her father. A moving read detailing a daughter's relationship with a narcissistic and toxic parent and her unwavering quest for self acceptance along the way. #katharineleppard #whyihadtomurdermymother #memoir #netgalley #troubdorpublishing #tea_sipping_bookworm #getlitsy #thestorygraph #fable #bookqueen #bookstagram
Tracy S, Librarian
Kates story is tragic and at times difficult to read.
It is filled with emotion and at times I could totally 'get' Kate.
She loved her mother and you can really feel the trauma of her life, her upbringing and finally the outcome of those times and the effect it all had on Kate menatlly and physocally.
A tragic but brilliant memoir.
brandy d, Reviewer
First off, thank you to Troubador and NetGalley for this arc!
This is a heartbreaking but attention grabbing memoir. I don’t rate memoirs, so I will not be giving it a star rating as memoirs are subjective and I don’t think that’s fair. However, I pretty much read this one in one sitting. Katharine’s story of growing up with her mom and the toxicity surrounding it was very hard to read. The book is very emotional but worth the read.
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