The Good Son

De: Jacquelyn Mitchard

Narrado por: Vivienne Leheny

“Rich and complex, The Good Son is a compelling novel about the aftermath of a crime in a small, close-knit community.”—Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard comes the gripping, emotionally charged novel of a mother who must help her son after he is convicted of a devastating crime.

What do you do when the person you love best becomes unrecognizable to you? For Thea Demetriou, the answer is both simple and agonizing: you keep loving him somehow.

Stefan was just seventeen when he went to prison for the drug-fueled murder of his girlfriend, Belinda. Three years later, he’s released to a world that refuses to let him move on. Belinda’s mother, once Thea’s good friend, galvanizes the community to rally against him to protest in her daughter’s memory. The media paints Stefan as a symbol of white privilege and indifferent justice. Neighbors, employers, even some members of Thea's own family turn away.

Meanwhile Thea struggles to understand her son. At times, he is still the sweet boy he has always been; at others, he is a young man tormented by guilt and almost broken by his time in prison. But as his efforts to make amends meet escalating resistance and threats, Thea suspects more forces are at play than just community outrage. And if there is so much she never knew about her own son, what other secrets has she yet to uncover—especially about the night Belinda died?

Powerful fiction, at its best

Great story. Didn’t see that ending coming! If you appreciate books that help you get into somebody else’s shoes, this is it. I loved it.

Riveting story; artfully written

I enjoyed the plot twist of understanding the ramifications of a crime on the perpetrator and his family more so than on the victim and the victim’s family although that was also depicted well. All of the narrator’s personas were so well spoken; the son’s soft voice assisted in showing him as a sympathetic character trying to make something of his life after his release from prison. His mother is a particularly fierce protector and supporter. The last quarter of the book veered into the thriller genre a bit too much but that is just my opinion since I don’t generally gravitate to thrillers. But overall this was such an excellent story that was quite beautifully written.

really makes you think great story

I loved the story and I only had minor problems with the story but it was in the details nothing super huge. this could be that I from Wisconsin, live not far from where the female institution is and know the distance of how close it is to Fox Lake. I love how this makes you think about criminal justice reform and what it does to small communities.

pretty good

pretty good. easy read . story was ok. had a couple good twists. read it

Great narration terrible story

Thea’s son is released from prison, having served time for killing his girlfriend in a drug-induced rage for which he has no memory yet takes responsibility. THE GOOD SON is a tale of a family trying to rebuild their lives.

Told through Thea’s eyes she wants her life back and also wants her son’s crime to be erased. At times THE GOOD SON moves slowly and my attention started drifting from the audiobook.

The resolution of THE GOOD SON, the weakest part of the story was a huge letdown and made little sense.

I don’t think I would have enjoyed reading THE GOOD SON, but as an audiobook it’s enjoyable.