Title: Hush Author: Kate Maxwell Published Date: 10th May, 2022 Tags: Motherhood, modern femininity Ratings: 5/5 Language: English
Synopsis
After five exhilarating years in New York, Stevie has a successful career and a glamorous social life. But what she most wants is a baby, an aspiration that feels impossible given that she is single, thirty-eight and living in a tiny apartment in Manhattan, far away from most of her family in England.
Determined to become a mother, Stevie returns to London and has a baby on her own. When she gives birth to Ash, she finds motherhood painfully at odds with her former life and her expectations.
She begins to wonder if having a child was a mistake – and what she might be willing to do to escape. As she struggles with her new reality and what her future might hold, revelations from the past change everything she believed about family and love.
Hush is a compelling exploration of the multifaceted themes of motherhood, friendships, and family relationships. The story followed Stevie, a successful thirty-eight-year-old career woman living in Manhattan, who decided to have a baby on her own and returned to London to make it happen.
As Stevie embarked on her journey, the author took readers on a captivating ride through her struggles with IVF, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum weight gain, loneliness, and drug use. Through Stevie’s experiences, the author expertly exposed the societal myths surrounding motherhood and provided a realistic, unvarnished portrayal of what it truly means to be a single, independent mother in today’s world.
What set this book apart was the author’s masterful exploration of Stevie’s relationships with her sister, best friends, men, and father. The complex dynamics of these relationships influenced Stevie’s decision-making as a mother, and the author skillfully wove them into the narrative to create a rich and layered story.
The author’s writing style was witty, clear, and insightful, and she seamlessly shifted between Stevie’s past and present life, building tension and giving much-needed backstory, while gradually revealing Stevie’s struggles as an independent woman.
The ending of the book was deeply satisfying, as Stevie repaired her relationship with her mother, who she had believed was her sister for thirty-nine years. It was a poignant conclusion that underscored the importance of family and the power of forgiveness.
Overall, this book was a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant exploration of the complexities of motherhood and the challenges of modern family dynamics.
