It has often been said that there are a limited number of actual plots. This may or may not be true. For various reasons, certainly for the convenience of readers, it can also be said that there are a 'limited number of genres into which plots may be categorised. This novel’s genre is dystopia, and its plot is a quest.
Dystopias all have an underlying premise which has to be believable at some level. They almost always have a message, usually political. The story is set in a not to distant future Australia, where climate change and mineral resource extraction have led to a situation in which, for their own good of course, state monitoring of all citizens is controlled by a chip inserted into the palm of their hand, either at birth or retro fitted into adults. This chip serves as a tracker but also a health monitor, a payment device, an entry pass to wherever the ‘bearer’ is permitted. All of this is controlled by ‘The Department. Citizens who infringe are considered to be ill and put in the care of BestLife, a supposed community programme covering, health, education, housing and all other forms of state controlled facilities, but essentially social, agreeable prisons. Obviously all of these elements are plausible but the overall feeling is so gloomy that I find it hard to believe they could be successfully deployed in Australia, a country of positive, out-going people with a relaxed attitude to authority.
Setting off on a quest has a long literary history, going back to Greek and other mythologies and tales such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. In essence, a protagonist presented with a challenge travels to a strange land to find a resolution, surmounting trials as they go. In this case Mim, a former Geologist and Environmental Scientist becomes worried, then extremely worried when her husband, Ben, cuts off or loses contact with her and with the Department. He has a similar background and has been working in ‘Indo’ slang for Indonesia. He has been working on a mining operation somewhere in the vicinity of the collision point between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Pacific and Eurasian Plates. This provides one of the reasons for the title ‘The Mother Fault’. The other reason is that Mim is a mother and, sensing that the Department is not telling her everything and that BestLife might beckon, she sets off to find Ben, accompanied by her two sub-teen children. Some of their trials, though plot driven, are not as tidily dealt with as they might be, although the operational sequences on a cabin cruiser have a feeling of realism, of experience. As to the resolution the reader must decide on that for themselves when they reach it. The plotting ensures that it is not easily predictable.

The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall a powerful four-star read. This was a gripping dystopian read, it was well written and kept me on tenterhooks all the way through, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to as I just couldn’t connect with Mim the main character, the rest were great, but Mim left me cold. The near future setting will give you chills, its scary how real it could be. I am sure many people will adore Mim and find this an amazing story.

I found this quite a hard book to read in places, it gets technical about geology and sailing and you really have to concentrate but do that and persevere with it and it pays off.

I usually dislike kids in a dystopian book but ohh these ones are adorable and useful and so well written.

I wish that it had been more about the Department and the mines explored more and that the ending was about 20% longer than it was (I agree with other reviewers that the last few chalters felt a bit too rushed and hectic) but I think that's a sign of a good book, I'm desperate to find out what happened next!

Adventure in a dystopian near-future in Australia

Mim, an Australian geologist and mother of two, finds herself fleeing from a totalitarian regime in Australia in search of her missing husband. The bulk of this novel deals with how she copes with escaping the Big Brother state, with her two children contributing to her concerns. It involves a few other important characters, all of whom are fairly well fleshed out. There’s a lot of her introspection and guilt, manifested in a few ways. The plot moves along pretty well but I found the end disappointing, leaving many questions unanswered (unless this is to be followed up in another book). My general opinion is that it’s quite enjoyable, not particularly uplifting but important about the issues that it raises. I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was ready to be blown away by The Mother Fault, but for me, it didn't live up to its promise. Too much geology and naval gazing for my personal taste. Loved the ideas for our dystopian future and that aspect of the writing was very interesting. I didn't engage with any of the main characters so ultimately I didn't have any investment in what happened to them.

This book is set in Australia in a near distant dystopian future which at first appears so different from our own society but the more you read, the more you realise is a possibility. The story follows Mim as she discovers her husband is missing and she goes on the run with her kids to find out answers. With the 'Department' who are effectively the government and who control all aspects of society chasing her.

Initially I had to force myself to keep reading as the writing style did not flow well for me and I wasn't engaged from the beginning. Once I was into the story I did enjoy the adventure but it did feel slightly rushed at the end. Like many books it sometimes feel like the pace is more suited to a movie rather than a book.

Dystopian vision of a near future Australia the book follows the story of Mim and her two children. I quickly got into it and raced through. I found it an enjoyable read, until the end which felt a little rushed and unsatisfying. If the ending had been given a little more fullness it would have scored more highly

Beautifully written book. This is a heart pounding thriller that will keep you glued. What will a mother do do protect her family? Highly recommended read.

This was almost two close for comfort in these days of facial recognition and conspiracy theories about being tracked. A thoroughly enjoyable read although I found the ending a bit rushed.

The Mother Fault is set in the not too distant future in a disturbing, but highly believable and frightening dystopian world, where everyone is microchipped and under surveillance by 'the Department', which has the power to arrest people without cause or send them to a controlled accommodation facility, paradoxically known as 'BestLife'. The Mother Fault is a very well-written, gripping and compelling novel. The characters are well portrayed as are the settings and the political upheavals of this dystopian world. I felt, at times, that the plot and decisions made by some of the characters lacked plausibility, but it was certainly fast paced and suspenseful. The ending was satisfying, but still left the reader with some uncertainty as to the protagonists’ futures. Perhaps this leaves some room for a sequel to be written? Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

My thanks to Kate Mildenhall, Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the ARC of THE MOTHER FAULT
My first thought after reading The Mother Fault was that we would do anything to keep our children safe. Mim is put in an impossible decision at a time in Australia when everything said and done is monitored by The Department. How chilling, particularly at the moment! I found the premise to be genuinely frightening, the thought of being governed by something unseen is horrific. Well worth reading.

A pretty chilling version of the world in the not distant future, where control is everything, the climate is out of control and people are monitored at every turn.
The characters were excellently described and just reading about them leaves you feeling as hot and thirsty as they are when they set off to find the truth about their missing family member.
The creepiness of the chips implanted into all "decent" citizens is seriously worrying-you can well imagine some world leaders thinking "what a great idea"!
Well paced and with plenty of heart-stopping moments.

This is my first book by this Author and based on this one will not be my last .

The story is set in near future Australia in a dystopian society where the Department sees all .
Mim has been expecting her husband to return from Indonesia but is informed he is missing .
The Department send two officials to help and advise Mim - with a warning to stay at home and to
surrender their passports ........... why ?
Mim is unsure what is going on ......... where is Ben ? Is it just a coincidence that a reporter , Raquel , knocks on her door a few days later ?
Miim must decide what is best for her family as she seeks to find Ben and keep the Department from taking her children as ' a security'.

A thought provoking book with an almost chilling view of a possible future .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I picked this book believing it to be a more conventional murder mystery than it actually was. A few pages in I was unsure I was going to enjoy it, as dystopia isn’t usually my thing, however, I was quickly gripped by the events of the story and read the book within three or four days (which is really quick for me). I felt I got to know Mim well although I found the other characters less easy to get to know and I would have liked more description to help me to visualise the characters and locations. I also felt confused throughout as to what kind of work Ben was actually involved in and am not sure how I feel about the open ending. I can definitely see this novel as a film and am sure it won’t be long before we hear it is in production.

A chilling image of a dystopian world where people are chipped, monitored, controlled. The government of the day have complete control and anyone who speaks out against this way of life, is closed down very quickly and permanently.
Mim’s husband has now gone missing! Can she find him and keep her family safe in the meantime?

I tried to get into this but I found it rather clunky and hard to read. Also difficult to emphasise with the lead character and understand why she felt the need to go on the run.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This story is set in the future in Australia, where the government controls everybody and even has them chipped!!

Mim’s husband Ben works in a mine in Indonesia but he has gone missing and the government have advised her to give up her and her two children’s passports as they cannot travel. They have even offered to take her children away from her if the situation gets too much!!

Mim decides to take her children and travel by whatever means possible to find her husband.

A gripping dystopian thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I have reviewed this as a 4, as it is truly is well written. Unfortunately due to the current pandemic I could not sleep after reading this as it seems too real now! Once the craziness of the current worlds over will definitely revisiting and finish it!

Scary, thrilling - hopefully not a peak into the future.
Australia is a scary place in a potential future - cut off from the world by the government, people controlled by implanted chips, many not knowing what is really going on. ‘The Department’ in charge of everything and everyone - subtly threatening people to do as they are told.
Mim’s husband Ben goes missing and she decides to go look for him - unfortunately he is in Indonesia on a mining project.
Mim visits her family, despite being warned to stay at home and ends up meeting an old boyfriend Nick who offers to take Mim and her children Essie and Sam to find their father.
Echoes of communism/ nazism abound in this story - dystopian maybe but still realistic in many ways.
Not my usual read but got really drawn into the story.
4 stars ⭐️
Thanks to #Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

This wasn’t for me. I have given the book 3 stars as it was readable and generally ok however I didn’t enjoy some aspects.

I found the writing style disjointed in parts and some chapters felt rather slow going particularly the middle section.

I couldn’t gel with Mim the main character which I think impacted on my enjoyment overall.