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The Mouseproof Kitchen by Saira Shah (view source)
Revision as of 14:26, 4 March 2014
, 14:26, 4 March 2014no edit summary
In these pages we're shown a new mother trying to tear herself in two between the demands of a frightened partner and a possibly life-limited baby. Anna desperately tries to hold onto both while coming to terms with her own feelings. Meanwhile Tobias subsumes his bereavement for baby of whom he'd dreamt. We feel for them as they experience parental love that lacks the ability to protect the child as each milestone's absence points to deeper levels of disability.
It's not just their reaction to the situation that's interesting though. Indeed I have a feeling that Anna's friends' and family's reactions have a foot in real life too. The most unhelpful of these comes from Anna's mother. Don't misunderstand me though - this isn't a misery memoir. In fact Anna's mum could be the twin of [[Bridget Jones's Diary : Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding|Bridget Jones's]] mother. She's priceless (at least to us – darned annoying to Anna and Tobias) providing us with some timely comic relief as we giggle at some of her whims and attitudes while we simultaneously feel at least mildly miffed that some people really think like that.
Some of the Languedoc villagers are fleshed out better than others but they all add to the novel's richness, including an unexpected historical dimension with the cultural. Indeed, the gatherings and customs that echo through the countryside also hide a sadness and, in some cases, guilt, that percolates up from the past.