My Evil Mother

A Short Story

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

A #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

A bittersweet short story about mothers, daughters, and the witches’ brew of love—and control—that binds them, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments.

Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may—or may not—be a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed. But as the daughter of this bewitching homemaker comes of age and her mother’s claims become more and more outlandish, she begins to question everything she once took for granted.

©2022 O.W. Toad Ltd. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Hillary Huber is enchanting in the role of a daughter who is spilling her mother's dark secrets.… Huber's vulnerable confessional tone for the daughter contrasts nicely with the ringing cultured voice of her mother. Huber deftly handles the sardonic humor and emotional depth of Atwood's writing.… Both Huber and Atwood are at the top of their form with a bewitching fable that will take up residence in the listener's mind.”—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“There’s a perfect balance of silliness and poignancy in My Evil Mother, which is really a story about the fantasies we never give up about our mothers…What loving mother wouldn’t cast a spell of protection around her children if she could?”—Ron Charles, Washington Post

This is a great short story!

This was one of the best stories I've listened to in a long time. It was funny and witty. All the mom quotes were right up my alley.

Not what I expected

I had a different idea about this book and glad it turned out to be wrong. At first I wasn’t getting it, but soon discovered what was really going on. The ending made me smile. Well worth the time to listen/read this short story.

Great Book

Loved the ending. Any mother would love it. Must have in my library to re-read.

Excellent

This was really good. There was quite a lot of substance for such a short story. Excellent ending!

Circle of Life

This short story was interesting; I really liked the mother and her antics and views on life. The story simply copies a typical mother/daughter relationship. The story then got a little depressing as the parents aged. It concluded well though in demonstrating the circle of life, moving forward, and keeping memories alive.