Maternity Leave

August 1, 2015

With a lot of well-timed profanity, Halpern (Get Well Soon; The F-It List) is hilarious and brutally honest as she exposes what it's like for a first-time mother. Annie, at 36 years old, has pushed out her first "cantaloupe" and can't wait to enjoy some relaxing bonding time with her newborn, Samuel No-Middle-Name Schwartz-Jensen. But this motherhood job isn't so easy. Written as if Annie had a moment to make diary entries, the novel doesn't hold back on her trials and tribulations, from breast-feeding with nipple guards, daunting postbaby sex, and attempting to exercise without her lady parts falling out. She also has a new addiction to watching (and shopping) late-night QVC, which includes having lonely, one-sided conversations with the phone representatives. Annie's confidence takes time to build as she navigates her new life with a constant passenger--that is once she figures out this Moby Wrap. VERDICT A hilarious and perceptive novel for women who have children, want children, or even for their childless friends who want (need) to understand the mind-set of a new mother.--Melissa Keegan, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

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