Review of The New Mother

This is a compelling suspense story of manipulation and murder. Natalie is struggling as a new mother and the author describes her postpartum life in great detail. Her descriptions of the sleep deprivation with a colicky baby are spot on. As Natalie descends into exhaustion and post partum depression she begins to rely on her neighbour Paul for his empathy and his ability to settle the baby. The more confused and exhausted Natalie gets the more Paul influences and deceives her. Natalie’s post partum life is described throughout the book so this may be triggering for some readers. At times it seems like the mystery takes a back seat to Natalie’s struggles but it still all comes together. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and would have liked a little more there. Having said all this I did really enjoy the book and it kept me engrossed in the plot.