The Ideal mother looms large in art and popular culture, from the ubiquitous image of Mary cradling baby Jesus to the modern day supermum. In literature, Motherhood is not always depicted in such a rosy light. While the loving, generous and nurturing ideal of motherhood might be present, so are images of mothers who are cruel, ambivalent and selfish. When discussing flawed motherhood it is hard not to refer to We Need to Talk About Kevin. Lionel Shriver’s depiction of a woman who struggles in