A working mother

Agnes Owens's 'A Working Mother' is a concise, sharply observed novel that follows Betty as she navigates work, family responsibilities, and relationships in a small Scottish community.

Owens employs pared-down prose and dry wit to render characters vividly, letting silences and omissions carry emotional weight.

The narrative focuses tightly on Betty's perspective, gradually revealing contradictions and unreliable aspects of her account.

Themes include the pressures on working-class women, the aftermath of war, and the social systems that constrain ordinary lives.

The book has been praised for its empathetic yet unsentimental depiction of marginalised characters and its economical craftsmanship.