While this is a fiction book, of course it is based on some
measure of true personal experience. Who among us would
like to call herself a domestic failure? CONFESSIONS OF A
DOMESTIC FAILURE sounds scary.
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.
From the creator of The Honest Toddler comes a
fiction debut sure to be a must-read for moms everywhere
There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess
moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned
stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of
Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and
Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably.
When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the
Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire
maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the
perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high
or flop?
With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in
everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and
lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while
hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon
every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms
that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.
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