Review: An A-Z of Pregnancy like you've never seen before
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 29, 2012
This is a fascinating book but it is not a conventional A-Z of Pregnancy.  Luckily I spotted the subtitle 'Sex Erotica Thriller' so had some idea what to expect.  It's more like a radical short-story, but easy to read and very engaging.Under headings like D is for Doctor, N is for Nanny, W is for Weddings, there are different scenes from the life of Katherine Markham, who is a character from Mobius, another title by the same author which I haven't read.  This didn't affect my enjoyment or understanding of A-Z, but it did make me curious to read that title.We learn is that Katherine is pregnant, and the father may be her own father, or someone pretending to be. She has a mysterious tattoo like a brand, and she receives orders by text messages from unknown number.In the scenes that follow she visits her doctor; meets another mother; picks up a hipster in a pub and takes him home for sex; hears the view of street preacher; and goes to antenatal class.  Either Katherine or the narrator are sceptical towards the people they describe.  It's a funny book, but also quite brutal, and there is strong language throughout.Katherine is far from the ideal mother.  We all hold the ideal that a baby should be born to a happily married man and woman, brought into the world in a spirit of love, especially if we're lucky enough to come from such a background ourselves.  Unfortunately that is often not the case; perhaps even rarely the case.  There are more Katherines in the world.Katherine is rebellious, but also confused, lost and alone.  She is strong-willed, sexual, confident, but also confused by pregnancy, the changes happening to her body, and what it will mean for her life.  She seems totally unsuitable to be a mother.  Yet who knows how childbirth will change her as she bonds with her baby, as so often happens.I found this to be a very thought-provoking, intelligently written book, a little shocking but quite refreshing for that.  I would certainly recommend it.