The Cows

I started this book disliking the characters, but as I continued to read they had some great character development. While there are lots of extreme portrayals of “modern” women, O'Porter covers a range of mental health issues in a refreshing way. I enjoyed the links between the characters and the references to social media.

I'm actually really surprised how much I enjoyed this book, it's really not the kind of book I'd usually read - just a little too close to chick-lit. But these were intelligent, unapologetic, unique women daring to be different. I laughed out loud and wiped away a few years while I read.

I'd like to point out that my enjoyment was probably due to this being a much-needed form of escapism between some rather crummy shifts. It's entirely possible that six months ago or in six weeks time I'd give this 2 stars and a rather huffy review. Indeed it is already starting to annoy me that every voice was so middle-class, privileged, straight and white with any men seemingly two-dimensional afterthoughts.

And yes, I'm still not entirely fond of the quick switch POV thing (see Scabby Queen) but I felt it worked okay here. I found O'Porter's writing easy to read and the plot itself surprised me several times. I ended it with an urge to wear my “This is what a feminist looks like” t-shirt...

...I think I need to go back to my usual sci-fi or horror genres now, though, for a bit of a break!