Little disasters by Sarah Vaughan
Simon and Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471194900
(Ages: Senior secondary/Adult) Recommended. Sarah Vaughan's latest
book deals with issues which are familiar to anyone who has been or
is a parent. It is only a matter of degree as to the effects
parenting has on the family. A group of friends who met at antenatal
classes seem on the surface to be successful, financially and
socially, but all harbour secrets and their veneer of contentment
hides self doubt to varying extents.
Jess and Liz's contact has lessened recently. Liz has a demanding
job as a paediatrician in a London NHS hospital, her shifts and
rosters mean she has little time for her friends and at times even
for her own young family. While Jess is a stay-at-home mother who
has recently given birth to her third child, she seems to all who
know her to be the perfect mother. Her home is always ordered. When
she entertains all is considered, thoughtful and beautifully
presented. She is a wonderful mother, successfully dealing with her
second child Frankie who is demanding and hyperactive.
However Jess is not coping - she is finding her baby Betsey
difficult. She finds herself caught up in a regime of cleaning,
sterilising, tidying and ensuring her home is a safe place. All at
the expense of emotional support not only of Betsey but her other
children. Her husband Ed has always left the child rearing to her
and spends much of his time at work and lately has avoided coming
home to where he increasingly feels an outsider.
Alarm bells ring when Betsey is admitted to hospital and Liz is on
duty. Betsey has a fractured skull and protocols demand police and
social services are called. Suspicions are roused and Liz finds
herself in a precarious position. She cannot believe that her friend
would ever harm her baby, but also feels Jess is not telling the
whole truth about the circumstances of her baby's injury.
The incident triggers Liz's own childhood memories of her mother, a
distant cold figure struggling with two children while running a
cafe. The treatment of her brother's serious burn injury has always
been cause for distress. These thoughts come into focus when her
mother's health begins to fail and she confides a long held secret
to her.
The truth about Betsey's injury eventually comes out. There are
guilty feelings by those close to Jess, who were unable to see she
was not coping. Even after Betsey's hospitalisation it takes some
time before it is recognised that Jess is in need of mental health
support.
Little disasters highlights the need for support for
parenting. There are always doubts when trying to deal with children
and how unprepared we are to cope with childrearing. Especially when
expectations around children and their development are
highlighted in the media. Many parents may be worried that they are
perceived as failures or inadequate in comparison to their peers.
This story highlights the difference between reality and perception
and makes a plea for greater understanding for all parents. Themes:
Crime fiction, Parenting, Friendship.
Mark Knight