Description:
Dani's a stay-at-home mom who's suddenly become very worried that her husband will drop dead, leaving her and her daughter Lotte destitute. She decides that the only option she has available to her is sex work, and sets out to do some research on a local brothel-cum-yoga-studio, The Temple.

Liked:
Quite good at taking you on Dani's internal journey; this is one of those where you keep second-guessing what's actually happening based on what the protagonist is and isn't willing to believe. Sections surrounding the 'mom friends' and social media are biting but(/and?) funny. Dani's consistent love for Lotte despite whatever else is going on is endearing and feels insightful, and her vacillating vitriol towards her husband manages to feel both deserved and unfair, which is quite a feat.

Disliked:
I agreed with a lot of Anya's diatribe, towards the end of the book, and didn't feel like anything was done to dispel this before the end. Is this meant to be a happy ending? I didn't buy it - was expecting something more nuanced. Felt like Dani learned absolutely nothing, which I found very disappointing. There's a lot to like about this, but the plot is comparatively weak.

Would recommend if, like me, you seem to be reading a lot of fiction about motherhood recently, and they are all further cementing your desire to never have children ;)

Normal Women, the new novel by Motherthing author Ainslie Hogarth, is the story of Dani, a stay-at-home mom struggling to come to terms with her new role. Her lack of independent income leaves her feeling vulnerable, and her fears about her husband dying lead her into an obsession with the mysterious Temple, a business with a shady reputation and a staff of women who seem enviably confident and empowered.

Normal Women feels more like a novel of ideas than of plot. As Dani slowly descends into paranoia, she comes into contact with a host of female characters who are all trying to find and maintain a sense of independence and purpose in a world dominated by men. Prostitutes, momfluencers, entrepreneurs and of course, the Normal Women of the title - Dani's mom friends, seemingly content with their husbands and cosy families. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 or so of this book, a slow burn in which Dani's world-view becomes increasingly warped, and there's a sense that the story is heading somewhere very dark indeed. But after an unexpected plot development, the story started to lose its grip on me, and I was ultimately left puzzled by the final twist. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take it at face value, or if it was meant to leave a lingering sense of something 'off', potentially a bit unreal.

Overall, though, I found this an enjoyable, thought-provoking and entertaining read. The satire, in particular, is excellent. I can't compare it to Motherthing because I haven't read that one yet, but based on how much I liked Normal Women, I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a try.

Thank you the Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

2.5

I was interesting in this novel because of the mystery element however this was only a minor part of it.

I found the first 40% quite strong and was wondering where it would go. However, The ending was so unrealistic that it made it all feel sort of ridiculous.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm a big fan of domestic women going insane stories and it didn't disappoint at all. It wasn't as perfect as Motherthing, which I read earlier this year, but if you enjoyed that, you'll definitely enjoy this.