A lovely friend bought this book for me, because she knew I was struggling a little bit this year. I got myself into a bit of a tangle with postnatal depression and anxiety. It was strange when my GP used those words because, I mean, it’s 2020. Melbourne had over 6 months of hard lockdown this year. I don’t know how I would have been without the pandemic and lockdown, so it’s weird to have my troubles “blamed” on the baby.
Anyway.
The book is great. Funny, sarcastic, very clever, raw, honest, and what I’d ultimately describe as a mess of motherhood anecdotes all mashed together. There’s no real storyline, or a beginning or end. The author just shares a range of real, scary, funny stories about her experience as a mother of two under two. Intense!
The stories are relatable as heck.
It’s interesting. When my husband saw me reading this, he warned me not to be getting too overwhelmed/caught up in reading about motherhood and depression. I understand his reason for concern. Why surround yourself with even more negativity when you feel crap most of the time? But actually, I found Ashe’s account a breath of fresh air. Like having a ‘real talk’ with some friends. Except I don’t have any friends with babies who could relate to my experience. So even better!
The writing is very witty. Here’s a bit about a doll on a page I dog-eared for future reference:
With her experience in a high intensity work environment and her painted-on smile, Dr Mimi’s patience with small children knew no bounds. She was unflappable in the waiting room, watching unperturbed as Dee Dee littered the carpet with food crumbs and Franny sucked the disease-ridden stuffed animals from he toy box. That’s kids for you, she seemed to say with the arch of her finely drawn eyebrow. And besides, it’s good for her immune system.
It may not be as amusing out of context, but this little interaction with a child’s toy really made me smile 🙂
Thanks for sharing your personal story, Ashe. Much appreciated.
Reviews and Excerpts 