Normal Women

(Paperback, Main)

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Description

New mother Dani has a lot going on. She's just moved back to her hometown, where her father was once known as the Garbage King; she's fed up of not being a manicure-sporting, perfectly coiffed Normal Woman; and most of all, she's worried that her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, will drop dead, leaving her and her new baby Lotte destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at - meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. But just as she's preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears, leaving Dani to step into another role entirely - detective. Darkly comic, sharply witty and fiercely smart, Normal Women asks how our societies truly value female labour - and what independence really means.

Reviews

A darkly satirical novel about 21st-century motherhood and women's labour, full of waspish observations and the kind of caustic epithets that had me underlining chunks. Hogarth is very funny on motherhood's modern mores... She is especially hilarious on the balance of domestic - and sexual - labour within Dani and husband Clark's marriage * Guardian *
A sardonic, high-speed novel about motherhood.... There is so much to enjoy and admire here... Acutely observed, hilarious * Irish Times *
A delicious dark comedy * Stylist *
New motherhood in all its mesh-implanting, incontinence-inducing horror and glory is both skewered and celebrated * Daily Mail *
A dark take on suburban motherhood * Big Issue *
Energetic... sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking and always fully engaging. Unforgettable work by Hogarth - don't miss it * Buzz Mag *
This spiky second novel veers off into mystery territory... provocative takes on capitalism's intersection with domestic labour and "momfluencer" culture. * Observer *
Like Dani, the women who fall for such schemes have too much time on their hands, an unsatisfied hunger for "more" - vaguely defined - and such a burning need to be special that they'll take as a guru anyone who pets their heads. Normal Women is particularly good at teasing out this manipulative strand. * Daily Telegraph *

Author Bio

Ainslie Hogarth is the author of four novels, including Motherthing, a New York Times Best Book of 2022. She lives in Canada with her husband, kids, and little dog.