Novels which explore mother/son relationships - any examples?

[ArgosTheDog]

Father/son, father/daughter and mother/daughter relationships seem to be much more commonly explored in novels than mother/son relationships.

Can anyone suggest any novels which explore mother/son relationships?

The only one I can think of is one of the Patrick Melrose series of novels by Edward St Aubyn.

Oxygen by Andrew Miller. Not very cheerful though!

We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. Wil lsee if I can think of some more.

Thanks all

Is Sons and Lovers good? For some reason it's never appealed to me

Some of these are bleak!

"My Mother's Lovers" by Christopher Hope Amazon

I enjoyed this - a strong female central character described by her son and in the context of her relationship with him (from his perspective).

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole.

Reading it as an adult has given me a whole new perspective. I see it through Pauline’s eyes now.

I think there's an interesting mother/son relationship in Perfect Happiness by Penelope Lively. Not central though.

So true Op . So many of the male characters are often orphans or have weird twisted relationships

The only one that springs to mind is Adrian mole !

Strong mother/son relationship in North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Oedipus Rex - Sopocles

The Nix - Nathan Hill (recent book)

I was also going to suggest "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and the Adrian Mole diaries,

I'm sure some Alan Sillitoe's too - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning maybe?

Room

Me Before You

The mother/son relationship is not the main relationship explored, but it is certainly there

Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin - short stories about mother and son relationships not a novel

Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth

I adored Sons & Lovers, but all of Lawrence is burningly intense and good.

www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-lists/12-books-about-mothers-and-sons

It's not fiction but Angela's ashes

We need to talk about kevin - excellent

Room by Emma Donoghud

It's not modern,but Elizabeth Goudge's Damerosehay series shows amongst other things an elderly woman's relationships with her adult sons, and her adult grandson.There are also some snippets of her relationships when her children were small.

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O' Farrell has a mother/son relationship, one particular scene made me cry buckets

Another fan of Sons and lovers. The relationships in the book are described really convincingly and all in all its a compelling read

I agree @CallYourDadYoureInACult with The Adrian Mole books. I recently read the 3 follow on diaries of Adrian Mole and the mother/son relationship is well written I think.

I may have to give Sons and Lovers another go - I did it for A level and hated it, but think I was probably just too young to appreciate it. Am going to look out the Colm Tobin books too as I have read Brooklyn and Nora Webster and really enjoyed them.