Single Mothering

With acidic humour, true stories and brutal honesty, Anna Härmälä explores the ups and downs of single motherhood in this colourful, irreverent graphic novel.

After her partner suddenly leaves her, Li finds herself alone with the baby. She’s a single mother, and it seems like nobody will ever see her as anything else, and her eyebags are now permanent features of her face.

As her daughter gets older, she finds herself passing through the different stages of single motherhood: wondering if she’ll ever meet anyone on a dating app who isn’t also a sad, single parent just wanting to be friends; wondering if she can start socialising again without people asking her why she’s not home with the baby; wondering if she can sit and watch TV without falling straight to sleep.

Can Li get over the hurdles of being a single mother without losing herself in the process?

Fans of Fleabag and irreverent comedy will love this debut non-fiction graphic novel from Finnish creator, Anna Härmälä. It gives us a glimpse into what it feels like to piece yourself back together and re-discover your identity when you’re running on less than an hour’s sleep a night and someone depends on you for survival.