A review by sharonleavy
Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Dani is married to Clark and they've just welcomed their first baby into the world. A world, Dani has realised, full of danger. When Clark speaks about a terminally ill colleague, Dani spirals - what would happen to her and their daughter if Clark ever got sick? What were they even doing, bringing a daughter into a world where she'll have to work twice as hard for half as much recognition as a man? 

Dani goes through the motions with her friend group, fellow mothers who seem to have it all together - but appearances can be deceptive, as she knows all too well. Her father was renowned locally as "The Garbage King", and she struggles with the legacy of being his daughter. When she finds a group of women who appear to be using some kind of sex therapy to "fix" men, Dani is intrigued - this could be a backup plan if anything happens to Clark, and a way to change the society her daughter will grow up in. 

"We've been living in a world where the most powerful group has systematically had the basic humanity, empathy, the crucial feminine, stamped out of them since birth."

I liked this a lot. I could identify with a lot of what Dani felt as a stay-at-home-parent - especially the loneliness, worry, and desire to find herself as a woman again after giving birth. 

With themes of motherhood, identity, feminism, female labour, weaponised incompetence, breaking cycles, capitalism, female friendships, sex work, and a healthy dose of dark humour, this was an addictive read. 

I do think the mystery element was overstated, and that the focus should have remained on female labour, but I liked this one a lot. 

I requested and received an ARC from Atlantic Books on Netgalley