Little Disasters: the compelling and thought-provoking new novel from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal

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Sarah Vaughan’s latest release offers a candid glimpse into motherhood, parenting, child rearing, childhood injury, friendship and blame. Vaughan’s difficult pregnancy forced a sudden, silent shift—from an identity built around her work as a journalist to one of unfamiliar isolation, with no friends or family nearby. MY THOUGHTS: Sarah Vaughan has written a heartwrenching and honest novel about a mother suffering from postnatal depression and anxiety. I found both Liz and Jess to be a bit lean in regard to characterization - Jess is the seemingly perfect stay-at-home mom, Liz is the guilt-obsessed working mom, etc.

And to be fair, the novel does provide a fairly realistic depiction of postpartum depression and anxiety. Had she written the entirety of the novel in the same deft manner, I believe I would be awarding it a much higher rating.Now, I’m not maternal at all, unless there are four legs and a tail involved (another reason I didn’t bond with Jess). Anatomy spent 10 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and Netflix announced in May its plans to adapt the novel into a six-part miniseries. It's a story of friendship, and its limits, of the love of parents for their children, of trying to provide them with a better life, a more stable life, with more love than their parents had. It was interesting to have an epilogue to inform readers of what happens in the future, but it did seem a little bit too saccharine after the main content of the book.

Little Disasters marks my introduction to the work of Sarah Vaughan but I have her international bestselling previous release, Anatomy of a Scandal sitting on my TBR shelves.At times this story was upsetting to read, but I think the situation Vaughan puts forward is believable and wholly realistic. There are several twists to the story and just when I thought the novel was wrapping up, another layer was exposed which explained everything. Told primarily from the points of view of Liz and Jess, Liz is working at the hospital when Jess comes in with her third child, a baby girl. She thinks herself a bad mother and when the awful happens she is brought into the sphere of Liz, a pediatrician and a friend, at a local hospital who herself is feeling harried, overworked and unable to devote time to her offspring. We also get a glimpse into Liz's life and what her childhood was like; the events that pushed her into a career in pediatrics.

A stay-at-home mother of three, Jess is battling postpartum depression when she lands in the hospital with her 10-month-old daughter. Individual characters were experiencing anxiety, holding feelings of inferiority and guilt, and keeping secrets. She talked with her husband, and they agreed: Vaughan was going to commit herself to writing a book within a year.Marianna Abbotts (Drama Development Producer) said, “We are delighted to be working with Sarah Vaughan and were completely gripped by this thought provoking and moving novel. So when Zadie Smith got her deal for White Teeth, I remember being really astounded that a young English woman could get a book contract. From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us. Although not a thriller, this is an engaging character-driven mystery, delving into what happened to baby Betsey, the events that led up to it and the importance of society and friends in supporting new mothers and recognising when they need help. Liz has no alternative but to report the injury, bringing social services and the police in to investigate.

From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal – a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall: Even though the story’s pace would be better with some edited parts, I enjoyed the writing, character building and realistic, genuine, argumentative approach of the author. She and her physician husband bought a house in Cambridge, where he had taken a new job, and she did it up. For some postnatal mothers, OCD takes the form of intrusive thinking about harming their baby,” she explains. Jess’s mental breakdown is distressing and you feel her pain as she tries to wipe away her problems with antibacterial spray.