Together they sneer at the dysfunctional relationships of other adults split-up couples arguing about money or who sees the kids when. She doesn’t come across as being sustainably comfortable in herself or nice to be around – except to her friends, Hannah and Sam, when they are drinking. These resentments are among many unhelpful ways in which Ellen thinks. ‘3.45pm: ‘wonder how soon I can have wine?’. ‘It’s a wonder I don’t drink more’ listening to ‘Perfect Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy’ say things such as ‘you still eat quinoa? You should give Camargue red rice a try’. ‘So much to do, there is never enough time to do anything’. Then there are other people’s mummies the ‘Bloody Perfect Coven’ and their obligatory middle-class extra-curricular activities: ‘take children to swimming/music/tennis/dance/Jiu Jitsu’. This leaves mummy ‘beyond the aid of mere wine and having to resort to gin’. So it’s back to the hospital to have it removed. Like when Jane picks a paperclip off a hospital floor, and it later gets stuck between her teeth.

Especially her young children, Peter and Jane. Mummy says she drinks because other people are too much. Has Ellen, 39-year-old mum of two, lost the ability to control her drinking? Mummy is at the stage when, increasingly, everything she has to do is better with alcohol – afterwards, and then, during: ‘stashing a large bottle of Pimm’s in my bag… made the interminable hell of sport’s day pass much faster’. I spent much of this book wondering if the answer to the title is ‘because she is an alcoholic’. And her writing style is a treat, as well - the phraseology, the similes, etc - are delightful.WHY MUMMY DRINKS – The diary of an exhausted mum. Ms Sims takes stock characters - perfect moms, latter-day hippies, intrusive relatives - to the next level. but they are simply spot-on and I long to incorporate them into my own salty repertoire. Because the author is British, many of her expressions and expletives are not commonly used here in the US. The narrator's interpretation, pacing, and deadpan delivery, are simply tailor-made for this novel. I actually not only laugh out loud - a lot - but even throw my head back to do so, every now and then.

So, Why Mummy Drinks is a rare and precious find. When I read reviews promising laughs galore, I'm skeptical.

TV shows, books written by comedians, my husband. read on! I have very high standards when it comes to humor. So this novel probably is not for the faint of heart.

Let me preface my review by noting that the author pulls no punches when it comes to extremely 'salty' language.

Gill sims why mummy