Sophie Adriansen (writer), Mathou (art)
A graphic novel that explores postpartum depression. A touching story of reconstruction and resilience.
Marietta and Chuck, madly in love, are expecting a baby. But childbirth marks the end of the fairy tale. Zoe's birth didn't go as Marietta imagined, and the maternal instinct is slow to manifest itself. While she no longer recognizes her body, Marietta feels herself losing her footing in the face of this vulnerable baby for whom she is now responsible.
Will she manage to feel like a mother? to love her baby? to stop thinking that a proxy mom would do better than her?
A humorful but realist viewpoint on a problem experienced by a significant number of new mothers, with an insight on how to overcome it.
REVIEWS:
"Delivered lightly and breezily but deadly serious for all that, Proxy Mom finds cheery ways to provide encouragement, support and vital information…"
- Win Wiacek, Now Read This!
"[A] gentle and accessible portrayal of a mental health crisis..."
- Publishers Weekly
"Proxy Mom is a needed and timely book. The book should be required reading in medical schools and in medical humanities courses. Finally, expectant parents and their friends and family should read it too."
- Karol Kovalovich Weaver, Graphic Medicine
"This is not just the story of one woman’s journey through pregnancy and motherhood, however: [The protagonist's] experiences are shared by many women who will enjoy seeing stated plainly some facts about pregnancy, birth, and motherhood that are usually left out of the Hallmark narrative."
- Sarah Boslaugh, TheArtsStl
"What fictionalising [the author's experience with postpartum depression] allows is a more personal experience."
- Frank Plowright, The Slings and Arrows
6.5 x 9, 152pp., full color trade pb., $19.99
ISBN 9781681123349
e-book: $9.99
ISBN 9781681123356