One of Those Mothers

‘Wildly compelling, refreshingly raw exploration of motherhood, friendship and the haunting anxieties of parenthood.’ - Claire Mabey, Books Editor, The Spinoff, former festival director, Verb Wellington ‘A gloriously claustrophobic and page-turning tale of friendships, relationships and ultimate loyalties. Megan Nicol Reed pins middle-class motherhood to the specimen board and watches it squirm. Compulsory (and cautionary) reading ahead of your next group holiday.’ - Kim Knight, senior writer, New Zealand Herald ‘A contemporary tale of complex relationships where loyalties and values are tested. Written by a natural storyteller, it will keep you thinking.’ - Stacey Morrison, television and radio host ‘Searing and darkly funny. Megan Nicol Reed cleverly cuts right through to the euphoria and claustrophobia of family and friendship. Extraordinarily gripping.’ Frances, Morton, Sunday Magazine and Your Weekend editor ‘Not every columnist has the chops to sustain a 287-page novel, but Nicol Reed has without doubt succeeded. Her handling of narrative tension throughout, of holding back information and meting it out at just the right pace, reveals the skill of a much more experienced novelist. It is not until past the half-way mark that the reader learns what happened on that summer holiday, which was perfect timing to keep me flipping pages long into the night. Oh, and by the way, Aotearoa, it’s official: we have a new Queen of the Twist. If you enjoyed Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies or Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, this one’s for you.’ - Caroline Barron, ketebooks.co.nz ‘Nicol Reed excels when she writes about the social minutiae of Bridget’s life. The parents’ association meeting is delicious, with its ‘junior Tories’ group of bitchy young mothers. Then there’s the class drinks with older women Roz calls ‘classic clingers-on: foreheads smooth and round as boiled eggs. A very confident debut.’ - Linda Herrick, New Zealand Listener

Thrice nominated for New Zealand’s best columnist, Megan Nicol Reed spent seven long years mining her life for a column that originally ran in the Sunday Star Times and then the New Zealand Herald’s Canvas magazine.

Loved and hated in equal measure, the former journalist’s weekly words never failed to provoke a reaction among readers. She became particularly known for her gentle skewering of the middle classes.

Megan lives in Auckland with her husband, two teenage children and dog. One of Those Mothers is her first novel.