The Secret Diary of A Fraught Bengali: clean romance that explores first time mum anxiety: 7

A fraught new(ish) mum. A toddler who doesn't sleep. A big move.Life has a funny way of coming full circle.I couldn't wait to leave my small neighbourhood up north, yet here we are, thinking of moving back. However, with a career in flux, older parents and in-laws that come with their own expectations, can I really leave my bubble in London to go back to all that?The latest book in the award-winning series sees our fraught heroine face new challenges as she navigates life in the sandwich generation - having a small child and older parents to take care of. It's funny, heartwarming and poignant.Set against the backdrop of a changing social landscape, former journalist Halima Khatun's The Secret Diary of a Fraught Bengali explores race, identity and belonging, in a way only she knows how.Reader review for The Secret Diary of a Fraught Bengali: If, like me, you have been looking forward to the latest book in The Secret Diary series, I promise you won't be disappointed. Once again, Halima Khatun has written a funny, heart-warming, poignant and relatable book that includes topics common to all cultures, plus some that are unique to a British Bengali woman. From the trivial - muffin tops, chin hairs and annoying relatives, anyone? - to deeper issues of aging parents and dementia, the situations H faces in this book will be familiar to many. Adding an extra layer of complexity to juggling the needs of a toddler and elderly parents, however, are H's concerns about being a modern, working mother while also dealing with expectations of in-laws, her family and community traditions. Although this book can be read as a stand-alone, I definitely recommend reading the series from the beginning to become, as I have done, thoroughly invested in the ongoing story of H, M and their families and friends.