Estie, pregnant wife of Owen, college professor, discovers her husband has been fired. This incident creates a domino effect of uncovering a history of lies in which he has weaved into their lives. Their relationship takes a downhill turn as their finances become a concern, as Estie works at an artisan tile company, and the birth of their baby is imminent. Estie has a strained relationship with her mother, a strained relationship with her college best friend, and an obsessively one-sided interest in her college ex boyfriend. The birth of her daughter triggers a severe mental health reaction that offers insight and horror into the childhood Estie experienced with her mother. Without spoiling major plot points, Estie's relationships are put to the test. Dishonesty, vulnerability, and forgiveness seem to be the major players in this text and are explored in new and inventive ways. It is an honest and unconventional look at motherhood in all of it's realities, and will certainly cure a case of baby fever.
While it was a quick and seamless read, I personally wanted more from the characters and from certain elements of the plot. I also would strongly not recommend this novel to anyone who is sensitive or upset by animal death.
Thank you NetGalley and Melville House for sharing this ARC with me!