What if being true to yourself means hurting everyone around you?


Brynn is a claustrophobic suburban mother on the brink . . .

Eric, her husband, is transforming in dark and dangerous ways . . .

Their daughter, Jenny, can't fathom the storm barrelling towards her . . .

When Brynn awakes from a coma speaking fluent French, she seizes the opportunity to start a new life in Paris, a seismic personal transformation that leaves a slew of shattered lives in its wake.

Darkly funny and profoundly insightful, Mother Tongue challenges our expectations of motherhood and our beliefs about women's lives. It is at once an exhilarating tale of escape and a warning about the cost of renewal.


Praise for Mother Tongue:

'A mother's love is supposed to be immutable. What happens when you lose your language, maybe your mind? This is a story with guts that will charm and alarm in equal measure. Naima Brown is one of our most interesting storytellers and Mother Tongue should go straight to the top of your to-be-read pile.' HAYLEY SCRIVENOR

'Darkly funny, surprising and ridiculously fresh, Mother Tongue is a searing portrait of the ways motherhood transforms us but also doesn't. It is a daring exploration of identity, full of suspense and bubbling with tension. Brown takes us to places most novels don't have the guts to.' JESSIE STEPHENS

'Mother Tongue is the perfect blend of page-turning drama and sharp feminist wit. Naima Brown brilliantly exposes the double standards placed on mothers, all while keeping you fully entertained from start to finish.'
DEE SALMIN, host of triple j The Hook Up