All You Ever Wanted

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With her taut writing and immaculate pacing, Susan Elliot Wright has created a dark and sinister tale of toxic family relationships, full of secrets and lies, layered with a perfect example of the smothering isolation felt by so many new mothers. I was utterly gripped from start to finish.’ Lisa Hall, author of The Woman in the Woods With her taut writing and immaculate pacing, Susan Elliot Wright has created a dark and sinister tale of toxic family relationships, full of secrets and lies, layered with a perfect example of the smothering isolation felt by so many new mothers. I was utterly gripped from start to finish." - Lisa Hall Emily has a picture-perfect life: gorgeous husband and baby, good job, great house. But with caring for their daughter, running their home, and returning to work, life is hectic. With her taut writing and immaculate pacing, Susan Elliot Wright has created a dark and sinister tale of toxic family relationships, full of secrets and lies, layered with a perfect example of the smothering isolation felt by so many new mothers. I was utterly gripped from start to finish.' Lisa Hall, author of The Woman in the Woods

Most of the novel was told by Emily’s point of view. Her concerns over her job, made worse by her marriage to Simon, who worked in the same school. Her guilt about drinking too much whilst accepting that it helped her cope. She becomes increasingly reliant on Anna, not realising that little was as it seemed. I wasn’t that keen on her until I got to know more about Anna. Emily is a new mother, she's struggling with feelings of low self-worth, questioning herself. She often feels paranoid, as though someone is watching her. Whilst her marriage does appear strong and loving, she's never really forgiven herself, or her husband Simon about how their relationship began. Emily doesn't have the greatest relationship with her own mother, and determined that her daughter Bonnie will not feel the same way about her. However, Anna may not be all that she appears to be and as the story progresses, the reader certainly becomes aware of darker motives on Anna's part. Whilst Emily happily embraces a new female friendship and help with Bonnie. For most of my life, I’ve managed to avoid a full-time ‘proper job’, although after leaving school I did put in five years as a civil servant – talk about a misspent youth! Since then, I’ve been a cleaner, barmaid, washer-up, market researcher, cake decorator, FE English tutor, chef, freelance journalist, features editor, non-fiction author and creative writing tutor.When a kind stranger brings their missing cat home, It’s the start of a new friendship. Anna is a confidant who gives great advice. A person who brings supportive calm to Emily’s busy days. A friend who becomes part of the family.

A family argument in a car ends in tragedy. The parents are gone but someone hurts themselves to get help while the baby is trapped in the car. This story is predominantly told from two points of view. The first person is Emily we hear a lot about her how she met her husband and got married and now have a child. She knows she is adopted but her mother has always refused to discuss the subject. But now Emily has a daughter of her own Bonnie, her mother remains tight lipped. Anna arrives on Emily's doorstep to return their missing cat, she's seen the posters and phoned to arrange to bring Oscar home. There's an immediate bond between the two women, especially as Emily's old friends have drifted off since Bonnie was born, and it's not long before they are meeting for coffee and lunch, and Anna becomes something of a confidante to Emily. An unnerving, suspenseful study of what it truly means to mother and build family ties. Susan creates an authentic and compelling picture of the many facets of a woman’s inner world. The way she portrays motherhood and the responsibility of care is timely, compassionate and honest. I devoured it!’ Amy Heydenrych, author of Chasing Marian All You Ever Wanted. Emily and Anna. Two women who want very different things. Emily is (perhaps) happily married with a year old baby. She’s a teacher at the same school where her husband Simon, an administrator, was once engaged to another teacher (long story.) She has a bad relationship with her mother, has lost touch with her friends, feels overworked and gets little help from her husband whose time seems to be filled with afternoon and evening meetings. Yes, she is suspicious of those meetings. So when her missing cat is rescued by Anna, who works several jobs to support herself, Emily is receptive to Anna’s offer to help. She’ll take care of the baby a few afternoons a week. The women become fast friends. And all I can tell you, without spoilers, that at this point you will not be able to put All You Ever Wanted down. Emily keeps getting a sense she is being watched but her husband Simon brushes her off. When her cat goes missing after a couple of weeks of displaying flyers she receives a call from Anna who insists it’s no trouble she will drop the cat off.

In the second part of the novel the narrative switches and the reader starts to realise exactly who Anna was and the lengths she was prepared to go to so she could get what she wanted. There wasn’t that much focus on her but I found it just enough. I could see her determination, but also her weakness and her loneliness. I really enjoyed this book by author Susan Elliot Wright. I have not read any other books by her but I really enjoyed the way this was written, using different perspectives and shifts in chronology to show how the two women are connected. As Simon seems to carry on with normal life, working late, going for drinks, meeting friends. Emily tries to cram her working life into three days, whilst also doing most of the child care.