Raw Content, Naomi Booth
I have long been a huge fan of Naomi Booth’s writing, and I find that each of her books are so diverse and unique. Her latest novel, Raw Content, is perhaps the one that has resonated with me the most.
Raw Content centres around our protagonist Grace, a young woman who has a job reading and editing legal case files. It’s a job she has done for some time and is very proficient and diligent in. Outside of work, however, Grace is not as careful, which can manifest as recklessness, and her life has been somewhat overshadowed by a famous case her policeman father worked on some years ago.
When Grace falls unexpectedly pregnant with Ryan, a man she doesn’t know very well, she is forced to confront, not only the new and terrifying landscape of motherhood, but also the uncertainties of a new relationship. Grace’s anxieties surrounding new motherhood manifest as dark and terrifying thoughts about the insidious dangers that could befall her baby. She constantly has to battle against mental images of the many ways in which her fragile young baby may come to harm, with innocent acts like the kettle boiling, crossing a bridge in town or walking up and down the stairs becoming malevolent.
While dealing with this debilitating mental issue, Grace also has to exist within her new and often confusing relationship with Ryan. They have been thrust together into domesticity and family life, and their interactions are perfectly depicted as the reader witnesses the awkward and anxiety-inducing elements of a brand new relationship.
Raw Content is a beautiful and thought-provoking story of post-natal mental health, violence, paranoia and unconditional love in all its forms. There’s also a down to earth, gritty northern edge which really chimed with me, and the landscape of Yorkshire is beautifully depicted weaving a thread throughout the narrative. Another five-star read from Naomi Booth.
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