Maternity Leave
Julie Halpern
This is the story of Annie’s life – from the moment right before she gives birth to her son, Sam, to the point where she returns to work. From feeling horribly out of shape to getting back into having sex, Annie isn’t anything like she used to be.
This is the novel of when parenting isn’t smooth sailing. Or perhaps, just parenting in general. It takes a look at how men and women somehow change in the months following their child’s birth, and yet hopefully stay the same.
I’m not sure why this has ‘a novel’ on the front cover. I’m not sure what else it would be? It’s in a sort of diary format, which worked for me. There wasn’t too much leftover stuff that wasn’t relevant. I also enjoyed the emails – you got more hints at how being a mother is not a one-size-fits-all.
It’s totally worth giving this novel to someone expecting a child. I’m not sure it’ll be any good for people who already have children – they have already suffered through this, or have baby brain enough that they can’t concentrate.
If you take nothing else away from this novel, it’s that it’s important to take advantage of the perks that are available to you as a mother. If people say they want to help, try to let them! And feeling absolutely like crap is normal. At any stage. Parenting is hard.
Chomp. Gone in a very short sitting. I’m giving this beauty 4 stars. I don’t read pregnancy or parenting books in general (the closest thing I last read was Aussie Midwives or Nanny Confidential), but this one was a ringer.
