As they paint the nursery and shop for babygros, she plans for the joy that motherhood will bring. But Jessica's experience is far from joyous. Why isn't she transformed by maternal feelings? Where is the all-consuming love she's supposed to feel for her child?
No-one told her that being a mum was so lonely and terrifying. No-one told her you don't always love your baby. Perhaps it’s best if Jessica keeps that dark secret to herself for now...
I’m really excited to be able to share today’s review with all of you! Last year I was introduced to author Amanda Prowse’s work when I was asked to read and review her novel ‘Will You Remember Me?’ (click here to read my review). A few months later, around Christmas time 2014, I got the chance to check out Amanda’s release ‘Christmas for One’ (click here to read my review), which turned out to be another wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable read. So, when I was contacted about Amanda’s latest release, ‘A Mother’s Story’ (which was released on the 26th of February 2015), I was already incredibly excited to have a new story of hers to look forward to. I had my fingers crossed for this release to be a great read and hoped it would not disappoint!
Jessica simply knows she and her new husband Matthew were meant to end up together. From the first moment she looked into his eyes, Jessica has been head over heels madly in love with Matthew, and luckily he feels the exact same way about her. The two of them are truly happy together, which is also why Jessica can’t wait to start their lives as wife and husband together. When Jessica unexpectedly gets pregnant at the age of twenty-three, Matthew is over the moon and can’t wait to go on this new adventure together. Yet, as soon as the baby is born after a complicated birth, Jessica can’t seem to find the maternal feelings and strong love she is supposed to feel. Instead, she starts to feel worse and worse and she can’t help but think about how her and Matthew’s life was supposed to be and what she could possibly do to make things better.
This novel deals with an incredibly sensitive and quite controversial topic, namely post-natal depression. Amanda Prowse is a wonderful author and she deals with this subject in an incredibly realistic and touching way. This novel really tugged on my heartstrings and I couldn’t help but feel for the characters and what they go through. Jessica is a heroine that really spoke to me; from the start it is obvious that she and Matthew make such a great couple and the love between them just warmed my heart. It was almost the perfect kind of love which is often portrayed in films and you somehow know something is going to come and ruin it all, which of course also happens to Matthew and Jessica. What they go through is told in an incredibly gripping and heartbreaking way, and I can’t even imagine what it would be like to go through something like this.
The story is told from the perspective of main protagonist Jessica, but in two different ways. On the one hand we see diary extracts from Jessica in the here and now, and on the other hand we get to see everything that has happened to Jessica in the past, mainly told from her own point of view. I personally thought the switches between these different chapters was very strong and really showed the development of Jessica’s character. The book has a lovely cast of characters which are all well-developed, such as Jessica’s husband Matthew and her best friend Polly. Amanda Prowse is a great author, there’s no doubt about that. This story really gripped me and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since I finished the book. If you’re looking for a feel-good read, this is not the book to pick up. But if you’re looking for a heart wrenching, gripping and well-written women’s fiction title, then ‘A Mother’s Story’ definitely won’t disappoint.
Rating:
9/10Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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