Libby always thought her life was well-ordered, charmed even: three gorgeous daughters, a husband who adores her, friends to see her through thick and thin. But lately, with one daughter in a constant fit of teenage sulks, a 10-year-old questioning everything in the universe and beyond, and a husband who seems to see her mainly as the manager of school runs, ironed shirts, and a well-stocked fridge, motherhood is showing some of its distinctly uglier sides.

But Libby soldiers on, taking her youngest to an environmental group to find answers to all those pesky universe questions, navigating egg-shells to confront her oldest about that tell-tale silver-foil packet of tiny pills, and cramming in some time for rekindling the spark in her marriage after the eight o'clock news. Until one day, she's had enough.

Phoebe James

Röst