The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine

In The Benefactors we meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh - very different women but all mothers to 18-year-old boys. Glamorous 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 the celebrity and prestige this brings her. They do not know each other yet, but when their sons are accused of sexually assaulting Misty Johnston, whose family lacks the wealth and social-standing of their own, they'll leverage all the power of their position to protect their children.

Sweet Home and Dance Moves

I’ve previously been a fan of Wendy Erskine’s short story collections - ‘Sweet Home’ and ‘Dance Move’ so I was keen to get my hands on ‘The Benefactors’, her debut novel.

Her characters voices have an authenticity, with lives rooted in the reality of life in the North, that really draws me into her stories. What I especially enjoy is her dialogue, which feels like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation somewhere in Belfast.

The three mothers in the blurb above are the three recurring voices throughout the book, along with that of Misty, the young victim as well as that of Boogie, her dad. Alongside those you have a proper greek chorus of voices - so the narrative jumps around a lot. That won’t be for everyone, I personally didn’t mind it. This was a preview Ebook copy from Netgalley, and the formatting was badly off with sentences rolling into each other. It sometimes took me a few momments to work out where one voice stopped and another started, but because of the distinct styles and tones I worked it out. Despite the constantly changing chorus, I always felt Erskine was in control of the narrative, and it felt perfectly paced.

Though the topic is obviously heavy, there’s plenty of humour here too, especially from some of the minor characters such as Misty’s grandmother, one of the standout characters in the book who frequently cracked me up. One of the things I love about Erskines writing is that there’s an edge to it, a feeling that something is about to happen. It’s also thought provoking and not afraid to tackle dark issues.

One of it’s many themes is that of class and gender inequality, and what parents will do to protect their children, no matter their social strata. It does contain some dark momments, obviously the sexual assault being the toughest. One of the particular skills of Erskines writing is how this harrowing incident is described from a variety of different viewpoint. It’s a book about real people and the dialogue is pitch perfect, along with the pacing and writing.

I probably enjoyed following Misty most of all. The Benefactors of the title is Bennyz, a chat room ‘with benefits’ where she hangs out. No sexy name for Misty, as she calls her Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She’s complicated and real and I honestly felt for her by the books end.

This is a frenetic, engrossing debut. Just like her short story collections, I couldn’t put this down. Hopefully it introduces Wendy’s writing to lots of new readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Published 19 Jun 2025

336 Pages

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