#BookReview of #TheBenefactors by Wendy Erskine

‘From the prize-winning author of Dance Move and Sweet Home, this is an astounding novel about intimate histories, class and money – and what being a parent means.‘
(Publisher Quote)
– The Benefactors

[ About The Benefactors ]

Meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh: three very different women from Belfast, but all mothers to 18-year-old boys.

Gorgeous Frankie, now married to a wealthy, older man, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh, the CEO of a children’s services charity, loves celebrity and prestige. When their sons are accused of sexually assaulting a friend, Misty Johnston, they’ll come together to protect their children, leveraging all the powers they possess. But on her side, Misty has the formidable matriarch, Nan D, and her father, taxi-driver Boogie: an alliance not so easily dismissed.

[ My Review ]

The Benefactors published June 19th 2025 with Sceptre and is described as ‘brutal, tender and rigorously intelligent…a daring, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny.‘

On finishing The Benefactors I was left quite stumped as to how I would approach this review. Quite a daring debut, Wendy Erskine has written a novel that is unfortunately all too relevant highlighting the class divide that exists in most societies today (and historically). Misty Johnston was born on the wrong side of the tracks. Abandoned by her mother, she was left in the care of her younger sister’s father, Boogie, a taxi driver who struggled to make ends meet. An unexpected submersion into fatherhood left Boogie bewildered but, with the assistance of his grandmother, Nan D, they kept the ship afloat.

Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh are the mothers of three young men, Chris, Rami and Lyness, all born into comfortable lifestyles. Frankie had a very rough start in life in the care system but, having reinventing herself, she married into money and became a step-mum to two children. Miriam, a recent widow, and mother of two, is struggling to move on, with the grief of her husband’s death weighing her down. Bronagh is a successful business woman, who flourishes in her role as the CEO of a children’s charity and is a mother to one much longed for child.

The day these three women hear that their sons have been accused of the sexual assault of their friend, Misty Johnson, they are all, understandably, shocked. But surely there must be a mistake? Of course their boys are innocent, aren’t they? Misty’s character is slowly chipped away as they uncover more about her personal life and actions. As they come together to work through how best to salvage their sons’ reputation, Misty is faced with a horrible reality. She can take a case against all three and be dragged through the court system with no guarantee of winning or she can let it go and just accept this is where her place in society is? One vital aspect of Misty’s life is the support system she has, with Nan D and Boogie by her side, but is it enough?

Misty Johnston’s story is shocking and heartrending but, amidst all the pain, Wendy Erskine slips in some Belfast wit and warmth as the antidote to the horror of it all. She tackles head-on the gap between the different classes and how the shift in power can seemingly lean in one particular direction. But, with great skill and an injection of irony, she also leaves the reader questioning the possibility of justice in its many forms. The approach to the narrative is very different, with the main characters’ chapters interspersed with the views of unidentified narrators, bystanders, each providing alternate insights and opinions. The writing style takes a little while to adapt to but the story carries itself with a powerful, and extremely impactful, momentum that, as I mentioned at the beginning, leaves the reader in a very thought-provoked state.

The combination of remarkable writing with such a disconcerting premise is very effective ensuring that The Benefactors leaves its mark on every reader. A striking and astute debut.

[ Bio ]