Soldier Sailor: 'Intense, furious, moving and often extremely funny.' DAVID NICHOLLS

“A new mother is not peaceful but in a jittery state of high alert. We declare her serene so we can leave her to it. So we can behold the glittering surface, remark on its beauty, and walk away”.I spent this weekend immersed in an unnamed woman’s experience of early motherhood thanks to Claire Kilroy’s incredible Soldier Sailor. Although a fairly short book the impact is not lessened in any way. This book left a visceral impression and I was transported back to the anxiety, isolation, confusion and overwhelm of those early months and years. Very much a feminist exploration of the experience of motherhood, the husband in this book is utterly useless and I was left furious with him at several points. But there is balance as ‘the friend’ is portrayed as a fantastic father - this is not a book which simply rubbishes men in order to explore the experience of women.I loved this book and consider it a fantastic start to my Women’s Prize reading this year. I have five more of the shortlist to get through before the winner is announced on 12 June but Soldier Sailor is an auspicious start. I look forward to the rest of my reading.

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Tiresome

I ended up feeling rather disappointed as I thought the end a bit weak but I'm glad I read the book.

This book is, quite frankly, bad vibes.