Why is it all so difficult? Why do the most ridiculous mistakes have the most disastrous consequences? When are you too old to throw up in a flowerbed after drinking too much vodka? When are you too young to have a child? Karen is both a mother and a daughter, but wants to be so much more besides. Searching for her past, trying to secure her future, struggling with Nan's forgetfulness and unpredictability, as well as Charlotte's moods and teenage attitude, she finds herself caught in the middle, but also charged with holding her family together.

Engaging and intelligent, The Bad Mother's Handbook is a matter-of-fact look at the intricacies of relationships and relatives, and an important reminder that while there are as many sorts of mother as there are children, it is love, not blood, that makes a family.