M is for Mummy

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From the first chapter Cox has captured your attention with a fast-paced comedy that will have you laughing out loud, just like I was.

A traumatic birth – No – I will not forget about it soon (13 years and counting). It’s a strange feeling and one that seems to validate or share so I kind of thought it was just me. Lucy’s feelings and thoughts were so real to me and I felt as though I was sharing a private moment with a close friend. Whatever you do, Luce, do not give birth all over Will’s new car,’ Charlie called out from the other end of the flat.

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None of us have endless wells of energy. We all hit walls (of exhaustion or burnout or overwhelm) during certain seasons. Sometimes, it can be hard to know where our limited resources are best spent in particularly busy periods. This book makes you feel you are talking to a sincere fellow parent. Because Cox is. She is the real-life M for Mummy. Based on author Katy Cox's life as a professional cellist, mother of two boys and her experience of Neurodivergence. M for Mummy is a beautiful result of what happens when creative individuals put their lives on hold. Words find their way out. John was tired, bloody tired. He giggled as he washed the literal blood from his hands, head hanging with exhaustion. To hell with residency days, six hours of surgery after a kidnapping that was preceded by a day of absolute boredom locum work and that preceded by a night of no-sleep as a result of violin concertos, that was the definition of exhaustion. This book does all of that, however it also explores something more that sets it apart from others in this category. Although it is only vaguely alluded too in the description the main plot and conflict centers around Lucy's struggles with her older son Stan. It is also though a look at parenthood when one of your children is clearly a bit different from the average child. It was fairly obvious to me what the diagnosis would be for Stan, but he is just a loveable boy, and Lucy is doing her best to understand him, that he really is just Stanley.

Hopeful, hilarious and wonderful, M Is For Mummy is a lovely read that will tug at the heartstrings and bring a smile to everyone’s face.

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From the moment I read the blurb of this book, I knew I had to read it. This book was realistic, familiar, funny and relatable. It was so damn relatable that at some points I actually felt like screaming and telling Lucy that yea I can feel you, we all have been there. No matter how beautiful motherhood is but it can be physically and emotionally exhausting at times. The final approach to the house revealed it to be set on a rise, surrounded entirely by the river that branched around the enclosing lawns, with no cover at all in the form of trees or shrubbery. There was a section of gardens just visible at the ear, complete with what appeared to be a hedge maze, well beyond the more secured house. You don’t have enough subterfuge in your daily life, you have to take it in at the movies as well?” John asked Mycroft. This book promised to be full of witty humour and sharp observations about life as a working parent but the humour was lost on me. It felt like it was trying too hard to be funny rather than making use of the natural comedy that life with children brings. I also feel increasingly frustrated about the depiction of mothers in so many books who are either stereotypes of a bumbling hot mess or selfish and neglectful. I rarely see the experiences of real mothers I know reflected in books and am quite disappointed this book didn't deliver on this in the way I had hoped.

M for Mummy is a beautiful result of what happens when creative individuals put their lives on hold. Words find their way out. John met the Superintendent’s gaze calmly. “No, of course not. I received instruction to be there and had reason to believe the man was dangerous.” He stood, rubbing at his wrists, and followed when the Quartermaster gestured to the door. They stepped through, continuing down a short hallway, and John kept his eyes focused ahead in an attempt to ignore the accusing glances. There was no time to process what had just happened because Stanley had already appeared in the doorway.I really enjoyed the strong female friendships portrayed within the story. The times that Lucy spends with her best friends Charlie and Jen are nearly always very funny. They’re loud, a little brash but they sure know how to have fun. They also act as significant support for Lucy. Her relationship with her friends provides a sharp contrast to the isolation and rejection she feels when faced with the Queen Bee mum Marsha. I thought Cox highlighted so well the feelings of inadequacy that can plague mothers when comparing themselves (wrongly) to others. Since the birth of her second child, Lucy’s world has changed. A lot. Lucy can barely recognise herself ever since she became a mum for the second time. The previously successful musician who had the world at her feet now spends her days listening to one child recite stomach-churning facts about the gallbladder while simultaneously waging a losing battle against broccoli vomit. As if bringing up two children wasn’t enough, Lucy is concerned about the fact that her once thriving marriage is now completely and utterly devoid of romance. My face still hurts from laughing. There are so many hilarious and might I add very detailed scenes in this book that will have you in hysterics. But there are also a lot of heartwarming moments that will have you in tears at the beauty of Lucy’s relationships with her little family. She writes with such a depth of knowledge of the "little" things and triggers that spectrum people experience yet mean so little to non spectrums. This comedic story had me laugh quite a few times out loud and earned me a quizzical look from strangers as I sat in a cafe reading. Cox has written a delightful and realistic view of life as a working parent. A struggling to manage it all working parent.