The Hungover Games: A True Story

British journalist Heawood debuts with a hilarious recounting of her rocky experiences of an unplanned pregnancy and single motherhood. Heawood, at the age of 34, was told by doctors that she would not be able to conceive. However, after a one-night stand with a musician “in a dressing room somewhere in Europe” she became pregnant. After she broke the news to him (he is only referrred to through as “the musician”), he expressed his concern that “they could not create the stability a whole new person deserved.” However, she was determined to make her new reality a part of her vibrant single life, which was filled with late nights, parties, and sleeping on the couches of quirky friends. A scene where she interviewed celebrity Jodie Foster while fighting morning sickness, meanwhile, is particularly humorous. The narrative is strongest when Heawood muses on her role as a parent who must, among other things, provide “structure and a playground with soft landings” and reinvent the concept of the nuclear family to suit her two-person household. There’s a lot to love in this delightful look into the world of unexpected motherhood. (Nov.)