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A review by readwithkapz
Underbelly by Anna Whitehouse
4.0
‘Underbelly’ by Anna Whitehouse.
Book review:
(TW - This review contains references to domestic abuse, miscarriages and suicide)
The book centres around the lives of two women: Lois Knox and Dylan Rayne, with the chapters going back and forth between each character.
Lois (Lo) Knox is a middle class mother living in North London, with a daughter called Scout and a partner called Johnno.
The one thing that we learn from the onset of Lo’s chapters is that although she is somewhat of a social activist, she is also very transparent on her instagram and social media channels, sharing parts of her life which most people would feel apprehensive in doing so.
Dylan Rayne is a single, working class mother, who also lives in North London and has a son called Noah (who was surprisingly born a week apart from Scout at the same hospital in Haringey).
Dylan works in a zero hour contract telemarketing role from home, struggling to make ends meet financially. We also learn early on that her father committed suicide when she was young and that she was subjected to emotional and domestic abuse by her partner JD.
The lives of both Lo and Dylan are brought together through their children Scout and Noah, who both happen to be in the same class in school and form a blossoming friendship.
My general thoughts on this book are that it’s a very smooth, easy going read. It fees like one of those books you can fly through during a flight (no pun intended) or a lengthy train journey.
That being said, I really enjoyed reading this. The way the author talks about motherhood from both the middle class and working class perspectives was really interesting, particularly the shared experiences of the two as well as the more common differences.
I also enjoyed how the books delves into the impact of social media and privacy on both women and how this influenced their perception of their respective lives. Lo is very open. Almost too open at times. Whereas Dylan is more conservative with what she shows of her life.
Without giving too much away, the development of the plot was really moving.
I would highly recommend this book !!
Book review:
(TW - This review contains references to domestic abuse, miscarriages and suicide)
The book centres around the lives of two women: Lois Knox and Dylan Rayne, with the chapters going back and forth between each character.
Lois (Lo) Knox is a middle class mother living in North London, with a daughter called Scout and a partner called Johnno.
The one thing that we learn from the onset of Lo’s chapters is that although she is somewhat of a social activist, she is also very transparent on her instagram and social media channels, sharing parts of her life which most people would feel apprehensive in doing so.
Dylan Rayne is a single, working class mother, who also lives in North London and has a son called Noah (who was surprisingly born a week apart from Scout at the same hospital in Haringey).
Dylan works in a zero hour contract telemarketing role from home, struggling to make ends meet financially. We also learn early on that her father committed suicide when she was young and that she was subjected to emotional and domestic abuse by her partner JD.
The lives of both Lo and Dylan are brought together through their children Scout and Noah, who both happen to be in the same class in school and form a blossoming friendship.
My general thoughts on this book are that it’s a very smooth, easy going read. It fees like one of those books you can fly through during a flight (no pun intended) or a lengthy train journey.
That being said, I really enjoyed reading this. The way the author talks about motherhood from both the middle class and working class perspectives was really interesting, particularly the shared experiences of the two as well as the more common differences.
I also enjoyed how the books delves into the impact of social media and privacy on both women and how this influenced their perception of their respective lives. Lo is very open. Almost too open at times. Whereas Dylan is more conservative with what she shows of her life.
Without giving too much away, the development of the plot was really moving.
I would highly recommend this book !!