The kept / James Scott.

It is the winter of 1897. Elspeth Howell returns to her isolated snow-bound farm to find her family brutally killed. Only her son Caleb has survived and, thinking that the murderers have returned, he shoots his mother. With her chest bound and Caleb at her side, Elspeth sets out to find the men who committed this heinous crime. But as they get closer to the perpetrators, Caleb discovers his mother has a truly terrible secret and Elspeth finally begins to understand its hideous consequences. Incredibly powerful, with an emotional heart that is brilliantly, subtly and so compellingly rendered, The Kept is a novel that delves deep into what it means to be a mother - and to be a son. It asks how far would you go for your family, for love, for survival, and, ultimately, for revenge?