The Good Son
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Mira Pub
January 18th, 2022
The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard explores grief, regret, and rage through a family and community wrecked by the murder of a teenage girl. It delves into how a family can accept the worst thing someone had done from those that they loved.
Stefan was seventeen when he went to prison for bludgeoning his girlfriend, Belinda, to death. Three years later he was released from jail and must now navigate reintegration into society. The problem is Belinda’s mother galvanizes the community to rally against him with protests, nasty words, and throwing of fruit. Neighbors and employers want to think the worst of this young man.
The only person who seems to be his cheerleader is his mother, Thea. At first, she was just there for him, but after receiving several anonymous phone calls she decides to investigate. She is also trying to help her son navigate his emotions through guilt and PTSD.
This story shows what it is like for a mother to have a son commit murder but still wants to nurture and love him. It also shows how many in the community are not willing to give Stefan a second chance and allow him to rehabilitate to become a productive member of society.
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Jacquelyn Mitchard: I was standing in line at a big writer’s conference where I was speaking several years ago. A woman standing in front of me dropped her book. I asked if she was here for the conference. She replied no and proceeded to tell me she is visiting her son in the prison nearby and stays at this hotel. Because he was so messed up on drugs, he killed his girlfriend when he was nineteen years old.
EC: Can a mother still love their son knowing he killed someone?
JM: The woman I met in line also told me that she went to the cemetery to visit the girl’s grave where she saw the mother. They put their arms around each other and hugged each other. The deceased mother said, “even given what he did you are luckier because you can still touch him. Maybe there is some hope for the future.” The central question of this book is would someone experience losing their beloved or experience them doing a horrific thing and still love them. A mother is sometimes the only person left that could love them. For me, I know I would still love my child.
EC: Did you speak to anyone in prison?
JM: Yes, but they wanted it only on background. I was told the losing of their liberty was the hardest. It is punishment. It is not supposed to be fun. I wanted to understand the nature of the pain they experienced. Surprisingly, their biggest loss was the complete lack of privacy and discretion for losing their own time. They were utterly scheduled, utterly bored, and always on display.
EC: How would you describe Thea?
JM: Ashamed, handworker, curious, loving, and smart. She is an ordinary person thrust into circumstance of extraordinary proportions without being prepared. Optimism is always her default.
EC: How would you describe the deceased, Belinda?
JM: A good girl, beautiful, alluring, secretive, and caught in the center of other people’s passion for her. She is more of an object in the book of other people’s love, fantasy, and loss. I hope she was someone readers would want to know.
EC: How would you describe Stefan?
JM: He is part of his fathers and part of his mother’s character. Intellectual, obsessive, remorseful, passionate, kind, and humorous. Not inherently cruel and violent.
EC: Next book?
JM: I am just planning it now. The plot has a woman, an underwater photographer, visiting her family home in Cape Cod. She come home to many surprises told to her by her father. It is titled Saltwater.
THANK YOU!!
