Book Review: Shaken by Jill Amber Chafin

Reviewed by Haley Perry | Content warnings: Postpartum depression, child abuse

A twisty psychological thriller exploring the dark depths of new motherhood

Jill Amber Chafin delivers an evocative thriller about a mother’s frustration and guilt taken to the extreme in Shaken. 

One day, driven to the brink of exhaustion by yet another one of baby Morgan’s screaming fits, young mother Sally shakes her baby. Consumed by guilt and needing to get away from her crime, she calls the babysitter and heads into an emergency shift at work. 

However, over the next few days, Morgan’s condition gets worse, and Sally finds herself lying at every turn about symptoms, doctor’s visits, and the incident itself. But as the lies catch up to her, she begins to worry her partner and the detectives suspect her, and she develops a scheme to save herself and Morgan: blame the babysitter.

Teenage Alyssa is a star student, future doctor, and babysitter extraordinaire. She has her life planned out, but it’s all threatened when false child abuse accusations are leveled at her. In order to prove her innocence and protect Morgan from future harm, she must work against the detectives to find out what really happened.

Chafin’s characters are rich and full of depth. The characters are not always likable but they are understandable, which is a strong choice that helps the reader conceptualize why these bad things happen. The book primarily alternates point-of-view between Sally, Alyssa, Sally’s partner, and Alyssa’s mother. Each character functions as foils for the others, which opens up fascinating ways of viewing the characters. For instance, while Sally and Alyssa share their youth and desire for a career in medicine, they go about it in different ways because of Sally’s unexpected motherhood and Alyssa’s lack thereof. 

While this book is full of dramatic irony, Chafin deftly passes along just enough information to make the reader think they clearly know the answer when there are frequent twists lurking around every corner. Since the culprit is revealed on page one, the suspense comes from wondering whether or not the characters will correctly find the guilty party and how.  

Moreover, the guilt and panic induced by this situation creates a strong psychological portrait of the dark side of motherhood, such as the deep depression and isolation as well as the fear that one is not a good mother and everyone will know it.

The subject matter of the book is heavy, but the language keeps it light enough to breeze through—a quick read that comes with that addictive, whirlwind feeling that is so central to thrillers. Additionally, moments of humor bring levity to a situation that could easily drench the book in sadness.

Shaken deftly grapples with what it means to be a parent by looking at parenthood through a variety of lenses. By focusing on the darker emotions stemming from parenthood, Chafin does the important work of showing mothers that they are not alone or “bad mothers” for feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by their responsibility.

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