One of the few books I've read that really gives an idea of how enormous a change in one's identity and experience of life it is to become a mother. However, I felt ambushed by one chapter near the end where Cusk briefly discusses fear of SIDS and describes a few horribly vivid images from a memoir she herself read about SIDS - it was intensely painful to read and has stuck with me since to give me a few sleepless hours. The book is one that someone without a child will find relatively hard to relate to, and anyone with a small baby may find upsetting. So I would recommend it only for mothers with children over a year old (or fathers with same who'd like to get a sense of how the other half lives).

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