A psychologist becomes a novelist at 76! Read our review of Jane Hudson’s gripping debut, In the Name of the Mother. Two YEI members will WIN a copy!
Book Review: In the Name of the Mother by Jane Hudson
A psychological thriller that gets inside your head and stays there.
Every now and then, you pick up a book that grabs you early on and simply refuses to let go. For me, In the Name of the Mother was one of those books.
Written by Cape Town author Jane Hudson, a health and counselling psychologist with 27 years of clinical experience, this is her debut novel, and what a debut it is. Jane lives on Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard with her husband and is a mother of two and grandmother of four. After decades spent in the consulting room listening to and helping others, she embarked on an entirely new adventure: writing fiction. And we are so glad she did.
In the Name of the Mother is a gripping psychological thriller exploring three generations of women and a family in crisis. It is set predominantly in Cape Town and delves into complicated family dynamics, trauma, identity, faith and the realities of living with mental health disorders.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Jane for coffee, and having now read her first book, I can say without hesitation: I loved it!
Once I started reading, I found it extremely difficult to put down. What fascinated me hugely were the characters. They are complex, flawed and deeply human. One of the central characters lives with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, and Jane takes the reader beyond the labels and into the emotional and psychological realities behind them.
This is where Jane’s professional background adds something very special to the novel. Having spent so many years working with people experiencing mental health challenges, family trauma and identity crises, she brings an authenticity and psychological insight to her characters that makes them feel extraordinarily real. You don’t simply read about them. You find yourself trying to understand them.
And she started writing at 76!
There is another part of Jane’s story that makes this book particularly special for us at You’ve Earned It. Jane only began her writing journey two years ago.
At an age when society too often expects people to slow down, Jane decided to start something completely new. At 76, she has published her first novel, her second book is already with her publisher, and she is busy writing the third.
In the Name of the Mother is, in fact, only the beginning. It is the first book in a planned trilogy. How’s that for proving there is no age limit on creativity, ambition or finding a whole new purpose?
One of my Top Five reads this year
This is a brilliant, thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you have turned the final page. The complexities of family, combined with Jane’s remarkable psychological insight and a story that keeps pulling you forward, have firmly catapulted In the Name of the Mother into my Top Five books of the year.
And knowing that books two and three are coming makes it even better. I can’t wait to read what Jane Hudson writes next.
Highly recommended.
WIN a copy of In the Name of the Mother
Fancy getting lost in Jane Hudson’s gripping psychological thriller? You’ve Earned It is giving two lucky readers the chance to win a copy of In the Name of the Mother. Enter our competition and you could soon be turning the pages of one of this enthralling novel.
Two books. Two lucky YEI readers. Will one of them be you?
👉 Enter the competition by completing the entry form below.
Closing date for entries: 9 October 2026
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Terms and Conditions
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- Prize includes 1 book each for 2 YEI members.
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Further information:
Jane Hudson Books: https://janehudsonbooks.com
Buy a copy here
Book review by Marilyn Hallett, YEI
Images created through AI
