“In a culture that fetishises motherhood, Sarah Vaughan’s novel is an invaluable corrective, a warning about the terrible effects parenting can have on mental health. It is also a very cunningly plotted mystery.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan is an emotionally charged book that captivated me from the beginning and had me so gripped that I was compelled to read it in a single sitting. I really felt for all of the characters, and could completely empathise with the scenarios they found themselves in.
Liz is a paediatric registrar in the last few months of her training before becoming a consultant. Its a tough job that takes its toll on her physically and emotionally and also takes a toll on her family life. The last thing she expected was to see her friend Jess in the emergency room with a sick baby and a story that doesn’t quite add up. When tests show that baby Betsey has a skull fracture, Liz has no option but to involve social services despite doubting that the woman she has known for years could possibly have harmed her child.
![](https://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Sarah-Vaughan-Little-Disasters-small.jpg)
Jess has been struggling since the birth of Betsey, a third child that has upset the balance of her previously ordered family life. Plagued by doubts , insecurity and anxiety could she possibly have hurt her baby, even her husband is starting to wonder if he has missed the danger signs.
This is a story all about motherhood, and one that more often focuses on the struggles than the joys- the struggles of balancing work and family life, the struggle of coping with a baby when you feel alone and overwhelmed and even the struggle of trying to have a baby when it seems so easy for other people. All that being said, it is not a book that one needs to be a mother to enjoy, the author does a wonderful job of painting those struggles for the reader, making it easy to see why her characters do what they do , and making the reader feel for them in their difficulties.
It is a domestic drama rather than a thriller but it is none the less a gripping and engaging read, and at times heartbreaking as the true events of what happened that tragic day are revealed.
I will say that I think the author took the story just one twist too far, for me it would have had a stronger ending and more impact without the final revelation which felt a little forced.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Reviewed by:
Annette Jordan
Added 26th May 2020