Hush by Kate Maxwell

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We are utterly thrilled to have the brilliant @_harrywalker1 as our guest today. A prolific journalist, she is the esteemed fashion editor at @thetimes whilst also being a mum and author (how?!). Her debut novel The New Girl explores female friendship & rivalry and her most recent book The Wedding Night, out in paperback on 28 April is a propulsive, twisty tale of female friendship, toxic dating apps and wedding that has been cancelled. Or has it? Over to Harriet:

“I was lucky enough to receive a proof of Kate Maxwell’s debut novel Hush before publication and I knew within a chapter that it was one I’d be urging everyone I know to look out for. So I wanted to recommend it on here to make sure it’s on your radar – out 12th May!

Hush is the story of Stevie, a women in her thirties who has embarked on motherhood alone through her own choice and finds herself struggling. She’s high-achieving if slightly rootless, and her big sisters have always tried to steer her a bit. Having a baby forces any woman to confront things about herself and her life – and to leave many aspects of it behind without truly knowing what lies ahead. This is what Hush is about and Kate Maxwell’s handling of it is warm, poignant and nuanced.

Her writing is wry but chatty, full of brilliantly observed details of modern life and the way it twists and warps some of the oldest relationships we have. There is so much emotion in this book and it’s all the more powerful for Maxwell’s honesty as well as her restraint. There’s a lot of love too – I fell for it in just a few pages. I hope you do too!”