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More about my mother: Elaine, by Will Self, reviewed

We have already met versions of Self’s mother in his fiction, but here we have a detailed portrait – of her rages, frustrations, fantasies, panic attacks and – not least – extramarital affairs

7 September 2024

9:00 AM

7 September 2024

9:00 AM

Elaine Will Self

Grove Press, pp.304, 18.99

Inspired by his late mother’s diaries, Will Self’s fictionalised Elaine covers just over a year in the life of its titular character. Elaine Hancock is a trailing wife living in upstate New York, where her husband, John, teaches English at Cornell.

It is not for the faint-hearted to write about one’s mother’s sex life.

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