ABOUT THIS BOOK
PUBLISHER: Polygon
ISBN: 9781846977015
RRP: £8.99
PAGES: 176
PUBLICATION DATE:
May 7, 2026
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A Working Mother
By Agnes Owens
A Working Mother is a perfectly crafted novel that will enthral, entertain and surprise in equal measure.
Our unreliable narrator, Betty – arch, witty, clever – is married with children and feels trapped. While her husband, Adam, drinks and bemoans his lot in life, Betty flirts with their best friend Brendan and tries to avoid the roving hands of her new employer. Soon, Betty plots her escape.
Agnes Owens’ sharp wit, dark humour and lean prose are expertly displayed in one of her finest achievements.
Published to celebrate Agnes Owens’ centenary year in 2026.
Reviews of A Working Mother
'Agnes Owens was an absolutely brilliant novelist' – Kirstin Innes
'A terrific writer' – Liz Lochhead
'Her black humour and piercing observation bear comparison with the work of Muriel Spark' – Guardian
Agnes Owens (Author)
Agnes Owens was always a writer, although for the majority of her life she was preoccupied with making a living and domesticity. She married twice, brought up seven children and variously worked as a typist, cleaner and factory worker. It wasn’t until she attended an evening creative writing course that she wrote her first novel Gentlemen of the West, published in 1984 by Polygon to widespread critical acclaim; she would go on to write a further five novellas, including A Working Mother and For the Love of Willie, and three short-story collections. She died in 2014.