Book Review: The Cows

Dawn O’Porter’s first adult novel (she has written non-fiction as well as YA fiction previously) sets out its stall from the opening page, inviting women not to be like cows, not to ‘follow the herd’ – especially about motherhood. Make your own choices. Live your own life. All very inspirational, but what does it mean in practice?

After the opening, though, we see that choosing not to follow the herd is much harder than it seems. The narrative shifts between three women: single mother Tara, lifestyle blogger Cam, and personal assistant Stella – brought together after a single unguarded moment makes Tara the talk of the town (and the internet).

Tara thinks she’s alone when she masturbates on a late-night Tube train home, after the best date she’s had in years. She doesn’t expect to become ‘Wank Woman’, named and shamed for all the world to see – an event that shakes her relationships and ensures she loses her job. In an era where everyone with a smartphone has an opinion and feels compelled to share it, Cam is the sole voice of reason, someone who’s horrified at the violation of Tara’s privacy and blogs about it. A friendship begins between the two women, while Stella – who has her own designs on Tara’s date – schemes to ensure she gets what she wants out of all this.

Each of the characters is nuanced and O’Porter avoids a definitive answer to any of the Big Questions; Stella begins as a huge Cam fan and grows to loathe her take on childlessness and women’s choices. This is a page-turner with a feminist slant and a couple of sharp twists – an easy but not simplistic read.