A whole-body experience ...Brief but utterly remorseless ... The final section expands – abruptly, beautifully, agonisingly – to grapple with the true existential crisis at the heart of motherhood.
An astonishing high-wire act: a narrative at once raw and polished, brutally funny and quietly devastating ... There is a visceral quality to Kilroy’s writing ... That she can render new what has been so often documented is testament to the originality of her prose, which she makes appear effortless.
Kilroy’s central idea about the difficulties of early motherhood can feel familiar, but her narrator’s wit, brutal honesty, and unsentimental love for her child—and imperfect but ultimately decent husband—set this book apart.
At times it can be difficult to distinguish between what actually happened and Soldier’s dark fantasies... but the novel builds to a gorgeous closing soliloquy, in which Soldier lays bare the confounding and heartbreaking reality of mothering. This is worth seeking out.
