Nora Murphy’s New Mother scared the living daylights out of me! This is not a horror novel! This is most honest and realistic fiction I’ve lately read about a woman’s struggling to be the best mother to her child! You may ask: what’s so terrifying about it? It sounds like a self exploratory, emotional bounding story! No, it isn’t!

Natalie Fanning might be one of the best portrayed characters I truly empathize with. She’s lonely, isolated, helpless, sleep deprived, exhausted, depressed, trapped in her new house with her new born, doing everything she can to keep him safe, well- fed, loved.

But what about her needs? She’d graduated summa cum laude from college and then law school. She’d passed the bar exam. She’d been promoted to senior associate at my firm and had negotiated hundreds of commercial contracts over the course of seven years of practice. But really gut now she barely fastens a baby wrap.

The author puts emphasis on the dark side of C-section by giving detailed examples about Natalie’s daily struggles like witch hazel pads she’d need for her hemorrhoids; the magical ice packs; the diaper-like sanitary napkins; the billowing, hospital-issue underwear; the sit bath and squirt bottle. She’s dealing with third degree tear!

She’s physically and psychologically in pain! She cannot sleep. She has to endure strict diet rules for her baby’s health issues! She’s just like ghost version of herself lurking around in her house! You can hear her inner screams at each page!

Unfortunately nobody understands why she’s struggling so much. Her husband thinks something wrong with her. Sabbatical is the best solution he could present! But what if Natalie wants to work and get the promotion she highly deserved instead of sending him work and taking care of her son all day alone as she slowly loses her mind! She’d been isolating herself in her spiral of confusion and sleeplessness, of swinging moods and irrational thoughts, of missing hours and panic attacks.

Her only friend Elaine is also pregnant, counting the days, burying her head into her own world. She cannot help her!

Her mother passed away. Her old father lives in his own world. He cannot be helpful, either.

Thankfully her neighbor Paul Riley who is stay at home/ writer dad provides the emotional support she needs. She’s taking care of her baby to give her enough time for resting, cooking her muffins, giving her special gifts for the baby. He’s godsend! Is he really?

When we read Paul’s POV, we sense something is truly off with him. First of all he was having a affair with the married woman who recently moved from the same house Natalie is living. He has special plans for Natalie. Do you want to know what his devious plans are? Keep in reading!

This is absolutely slow burn thriller. There’s no big twist. There’s no big mystery. You may sense Paul’s intentions from the beginning. But I truly loved Natalie’s voice: her loneliness, her silent cries and screams easily made me connect with her.

The lack of suspicion, slow pacing made me a little anxious but the characterization was perfection! So I decided to give four stars!
It’s effective, realistic, thought provoking story perfectly questions of motherhood and how far a mother can go to protect her child.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this stunning digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

The New Mother
by Nora Murphy
Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It's hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it's murder.
Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is colicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.
Enter Paul, the neighbor.
Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.
But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?

Wow, this was a wonderfully written book. I steamed rolled thru this one. Natalie was in serious need of help from someone after birth. She went weeks without sleep, and felt alone, even with a husband willing to help. It was true she had postpartum depression.
I felt for her, as she came more deeply dependent on Paul, the very helpful neighbor to help her with baby Oliver. Until he stopped helping. Of course, I felt the red flags, but wow, it was so much .
I loved the book and it was easy to relate to Natalie.

𝑨𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔, 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒎 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔, 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕.

After loving THE FAVOR, I couldn't wait to get my hands on her sophomore release, and THE NEW MOTHER did not disappoint!

My children will be 32 and 22 this year, so I haven't been a new mother for quite awhile, but I do remember thinking I was doing everything wrong. When my child cried, he hated me. When I couldn't comfort him, I was a failure. I was lonely, I was isolated, and accepting help meant you were less than, because working mothers were supposed to be able to have it all.

Natalie has just given birth to her son Oliver, and she's struggling. Part one is a deep dive into post-partum depression, and to be frank, it's stark, it's bleak, but it's a brilliantly insightful foray into the days, weeks, and even months after giving birth. Oliver is a difficult baby who rarely sleeps, and she's sleep deprived, she's losing chunks of time, and worst of all, when she returns to work at her law firm, she's making critical mistakes. She returns home for an extended sabbatical and finds herself isolated and resentful of her husband, who has just made partner at his law firm. Mourning the career that could have been hers, she finds solace in a kindly neighbor, Paul.

To Natalie, Paul is gentle, welcoming, and an apparent baby whisperer as he soothes Oliver in a way that Natalie can't. Their friendship blossoms, and Natalie finds herself looking forward to Paul's visits, and she begins to reciprocate by showing up at his house. What she doesn't know about Paul is that he's been completely emasculated by his wife, the sole breadwinner, and that he harbors deep resentment toward her. When Natalie is at her most vulnerable and in most need of a friend, Paul graciously steps up to provide what she so desperately needs. Unfortunately, Paul wants something from Natalie in return.

I was completely immersed in this story until the shocking ending, and that final sentence just stopped me in my tracks. A searing, blistering portrayal of the dark side of motherhood that you don't want to miss. THENEW MOTHER will publish May 30, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my early copy.

A couple brings their new baby home. The husband goes to work…the mom works also. Enter a neighbor. What ensues is mysterious and intriguing. The characters are so lifelike…this would make a good television show. This author is that writing a cannot put down novel. Actually, this fiction reads like nonfiction, at times. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Enjoy an afternoon with this quick read.