Second! This is a book I was very close to DNFing, but has turned out to be one of my favourites from the shortlist…
Bring on, Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy*.
What is Soldier Sailor about?
Referring to herself by no name apart from Soldier, a new mother details raising her young son, or Sailor, as they battle her lingering darkness together, for what is clearly post-natal depression.
‘Soldier’ itself speaks volumes. Imagine disregarding your own identity to the equivalent of a warrior? Lacking in name made me think that she feels she has lost her identity, serving only as a mother instead of more than that.
This book is heavy going and full of melancholy from the start, however as time passes, joyous, funny moments emerge. Maybe she’s starting to fight through it all? At times, her depression does get really low, as experienced with pushing her son in his pram to the beach when the tide comes in.
Even though it feels like Soldier is on her own for a lot of the time, she does have a husband. I’m still not sure how I feel about him, where I went through phases of liking how he goes through phases of trying to support her vs pure hatred for getting her to stop their child crying at night.
Common themes
- Motherhood
- Melancholy
- Post-natal depression
Similar books or genres
Would I recommend it?
Yes – it takes a while to get going and can take you to some dark places at first, but once you break through that with ‘Soldier’, you’ll see some uplifting moments just as she does.
Will this win the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024?
It’s a strong contender and seems popular online. It addresses taboo subjects in such a delicate manner, so maybe. I’d like to see this as one of the more popular choices.
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Lizzie's Week 
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