Our protagonist Ashley married in her early thirties, and is now a stay-home mom with a lively, healthy eight month old daughter Aubrey. She fails to gain my sympathy as she complains, fantasizes about household help and falls behind on care for herself and the house. She's constantly jaded, but loves her daughter and husband David. And she can't help comparing herself to other mothers who seem to be managing so much better. That's when she buys a book called Motherhood Better.

Amidst a torrent of unpleasant experiences and a lack of showering, which I have to say I didn't like or find funny, we see the kind of social situation new mothers are forced into - including a supposed playdate which turns out to be a sales pitch for a weight loss product. Other people are quick to censure although the mother is really doing okay for her child, and Ashley, guilty about not buying organic food as the book recommends, feels unsupported. Motherhood Better is also running a boot camp in a reality show format. She decides to attend.

Scattered among the pages are lists, texts, e-mails and so on to reflect the modern lifestyle. We also get quotes from the perfectionist author of Motherhood Better. Surely this woman can't be for real, or she has household staff? When poor Ashley manages to find a nanny, she's then terrified that this woman is not going to take good care of her child. The show finale is filmed at a luxurious Napa estate, which is a good change of scene. I did find some funny moments and I think the tale will suit some readers better than others, though you would not want to be squeamish.

Bunmi Laditan, who lives in Montreal, comes across as quite brave for showing the reality of first time motherhood and the culture shock experienced by a former executive reduced to exhaustion by changing nappies and making puree. She contributes to websites and Huffington Post on motherhood. CONFESSIONS OF A DOMESTIC FAILURE is her first fiction work.

Book Summary