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This Is Where We Live
A single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2023
5 people are currently reading
1036 people want to read
About the author
Kate Hardie
1 book3 followersKate Hardie is a writer, actor and screenwriter. She has written and directed films for Channel Four, The BFI and Sky, and is due to direct her feature script Starting the End. She has also taught screen writing and directing, lectured and advised on representation and diversity within the film industry, and written essays and articles for the Guardian and Dazed. This Is Where We Live is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 4, 2024
Brief but potent. Brilliant execution of the motherhood-as-body-horror theme. Slightly undercuts its own power at the end, but still a solid 5 stars.
August 1, 2023
I must admit I hadn’t heard of this book when it arrived in the post in early July. Kate Hardie is an English actress and author, and this is her debut novel. The blurb on the back drew me in:
“A single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?”
This is Where we Live is a short, disturbing, literary tale of a mother on the edge. It has much in common with Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, depicting as it does the dark side of motherhood, but it’s more abstract and goes further, delving into the deep-seated generational trauma that can be an insurmountable obstacle for many women.
There is also trans/non-binary rep (very subtly and skilfully done) and a beautiful note at the beginning of the book with a content warning (swipe to see).
Less than 200 pages, I found it a powerful, impactful read and read it hungrily, despite it being quite the opposite of a holiday read. It has been compared to Rachel Cusk’s A Life’s Work and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch (I’ve read neither but both on my tbr). An author to watch. 4/5⭐️
*Many thanks to the publisher @4thestatebooks @harpercollinsire for the proof copy. This is Where We Live was published on 6 July 2023. As always, this is an honest review.*
“A single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?”
This is Where we Live is a short, disturbing, literary tale of a mother on the edge. It has much in common with Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, depicting as it does the dark side of motherhood, but it’s more abstract and goes further, delving into the deep-seated generational trauma that can be an insurmountable obstacle for many women.
There is also trans/non-binary rep (very subtly and skilfully done) and a beautiful note at the beginning of the book with a content warning (swipe to see).
Less than 200 pages, I found it a powerful, impactful read and read it hungrily, despite it being quite the opposite of a holiday read. It has been compared to Rachel Cusk’s A Life’s Work and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch (I’ve read neither but both on my tbr). An author to watch. 4/5⭐️
*Many thanks to the publisher @4thestatebooks @harpercollinsire for the proof copy. This is Where We Live was published on 6 July 2023. As always, this is an honest review.*
July 14, 2023
4.5, woah that was a lot. but absolutely amazing and raw and gruesome
December 23, 2024
Generational trauma as a body horror curse. About how hard it is to break, how you wish and wish and wish you can spare your child, but slowly realizing that you can’t; no more than your mother did.
Full Review on my Blog
Full Review on my Blog
December 11, 2023
I must admit I would never have picked up this book if I knew the story was about the bloody side of motherhood. It was my toughest read, raw, disturbing, and heart-wrenching in a way that I can't explain.
It should be a fast read because it has short chapter however due to the shattered story, I always take a break. I could feel the lifeless tone of the character. Break through day by day being a mum, and absent husband while handling the kids. The flashback childhood of the female character left me broken-hearted. Every single page is filled with sadness, suicide attempts, overthinking, and dead thoughts - till at one point, gives me a headache.
There is talk of self-harm and wanting to hurt others. It was not normal and I honestly feel unsafe if one day this could happen to me. The author came out strong with this theme that left me questioning marriage, motherhood, and broken families. I've been through a broken family and I know it was a scary process, but how do we as women survive this shit for the next phase? Being a wife is one thing, being a mother? I feel so overwhelmed with this book.
Yet, I'm just glad this book was only less than 200 pages. More than that, I might have migraine terus. Maybe I'm just too emotional when reading this. But if any of you experienced post-natal depression, any wrongness in your relationship, motherhood, or related to that, please just mind the trigger warning.
It was a good debut book. Thanks to Times Reads and Miss Puteri for the reviewed copy.
It should be a fast read because it has short chapter however due to the shattered story, I always take a break. I could feel the lifeless tone of the character. Break through day by day being a mum, and absent husband while handling the kids. The flashback childhood of the female character left me broken-hearted. Every single page is filled with sadness, suicide attempts, overthinking, and dead thoughts - till at one point, gives me a headache.
There is talk of self-harm and wanting to hurt others. It was not normal and I honestly feel unsafe if one day this could happen to me. The author came out strong with this theme that left me questioning marriage, motherhood, and broken families. I've been through a broken family and I know it was a scary process, but how do we as women survive this shit for the next phase? Being a wife is one thing, being a mother? I feel so overwhelmed with this book.
Yet, I'm just glad this book was only less than 200 pages. More than that, I might have migraine terus. Maybe I'm just too emotional when reading this. But if any of you experienced post-natal depression, any wrongness in your relationship, motherhood, or related to that, please just mind the trigger warning.
It was a good debut book. Thanks to Times Reads and Miss Puteri for the reviewed copy.
May 12, 2025
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me a while to truly understand what was going on with the entire book following a metaphor of sorts but once I did—it hit hard. It was a difficult read at times, but I really appreciated the shifts between the present and the past, which I think added so much more emotional depth to the story.
The slow unravelling of the narrator's mind, and the quiet desperation in her words as the book unfolded, was the best yet saddest part of it.
Genuinely crushed me to read a book about a woman who wants more than nothing but to be a good mother for her child but keeps failing at it, never reading shit like this again (I’ll in fact be reading shit like this again.)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me a while to truly understand what was going on with the entire book following a metaphor of sorts but once I did—it hit hard. It was a difficult read at times, but I really appreciated the shifts between the present and the past, which I think added so much more emotional depth to the story.
The slow unravelling of the narrator's mind, and the quiet desperation in her words as the book unfolded, was the best yet saddest part of it.
Genuinely crushed me to read a book about a woman who wants more than nothing but to be a good mother for her child but keeps failing at it, never reading shit like this again (I’ll in fact be reading shit like this again.)
January 28, 2025
The book that Nightbitch wishes she was!!
August 23, 2023
This is an unnerving read. It gets inside your brain, burrows itself. Will not leave. With the world’s most unreliable narrator, it makes you questioning everything. And so, you are constantly thinking about it. I’m still thinking about it, every minute since finishing the book. I am still wondering if all of that really did happen, or if there are another version of events that are closer to reality. Prepare to be in a constant state of confusion. It’s bloody and gory but not obnoxiously so. It’s all just a bit weird, rather than vomit inducing. Think Ottessa Moshfegh and Sayaka Murata but a little more tame.
The main themes of this debut novel is motherhood and womanhood. Through the protagonists POV, we learn about her relationship, not only with her child, but her mother, father and their generational trauma. Gender identity plays an important role too. Admittedly it took me a beat to clock what that it was happening, but for the entire book the protagonist uses they/them pronouns when referring to their child. If someone can write a whole novel using they/them pronouns, you can use them in everyday conversation. It is not that fricken difficult! With that, transphobia is also explored within this novel.
There’s a trigger warning mention at the beginning of the book which is fantastic. The protagonist is an unfit mother, with very evident mental health issues - the specifics of which are never given. Neglect ,while unintentional, is very evident and I felt very conflicted when reading. I felt sorry for the mother because I know she did not wish to be this way, but nonetheless the child carries a huge burden and that is unfair also.
This story is twisted. The mother bites flesh, has blood under her finger nails. She is capable of terrible things. But she loves her child. There is a really powerful monologue towards the end of the novel also. Any woman (which is most woman) who has ever been called ‘crazy’, ‘psycho’, ‘insane’ or anything of the like, this novel is sure to resonate with you.
This is seared into my memory. I need to reread it pronto! Usually not one for body horror, but this has captivated me.
4⭐️
Thank you Harper Collins Ireland for sending me a copy.
The main themes of this debut novel is motherhood and womanhood. Through the protagonists POV, we learn about her relationship, not only with her child, but her mother, father and their generational trauma. Gender identity plays an important role too. Admittedly it took me a beat to clock what that it was happening, but for the entire book the protagonist uses they/them pronouns when referring to their child. If someone can write a whole novel using they/them pronouns, you can use them in everyday conversation. It is not that fricken difficult! With that, transphobia is also explored within this novel.
There’s a trigger warning mention at the beginning of the book which is fantastic. The protagonist is an unfit mother, with very evident mental health issues - the specifics of which are never given. Neglect ,while unintentional, is very evident and I felt very conflicted when reading. I felt sorry for the mother because I know she did not wish to be this way, but nonetheless the child carries a huge burden and that is unfair also.
This story is twisted. The mother bites flesh, has blood under her finger nails. She is capable of terrible things. But she loves her child. There is a really powerful monologue towards the end of the novel also. Any woman (which is most woman) who has ever been called ‘crazy’, ‘psycho’, ‘insane’ or anything of the like, this novel is sure to resonate with you.
This is seared into my memory. I need to reread it pronto! Usually not one for body horror, but this has captivated me.
4⭐️
Thank you Harper Collins Ireland for sending me a copy.
November 5, 2024
The better version of Nightbitch.
A raw body horror novel about motherhood. About how everything you’ve gone through, and everything you’re going through, can make you tear yourself apart and rip into others.
The monologue part ..”they can come…” was amazing.
Not sure how much was metaphorical and how much was literal - I enjoyed it all the same.
Trans stuff is featured heavily.
A raw body horror novel about motherhood. About how everything you’ve gone through, and everything you’re going through, can make you tear yourself apart and rip into others.
The monologue part ..”they can come…” was amazing.
Not sure how much was metaphorical and how much was literal - I enjoyed it all the same.
Trans stuff is featured heavily.
November 26, 2024
deeply weird
January 20, 2025
love me a good, grotesque depiction of motherhood
August 11, 2024
Hardcore feminist adventures of being a mother. Loved it. Not for males with a superiority complex.
December 19, 2023
“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞.
𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
𝐈 𝐫𝐮𝐧. 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠”
What an incredible debut! Honestly really really good. I’ve been struggling to stay engaged with books lately but This is Where We Live had me hooked from the first few pages. Short sharp chapters, an unreliable narrator and a story about how fucking stressful it can be being a mother (not that I know, but this book quite easily made me imagine it).
The narrator (a mother) is mysterious, wild and furious but also vulnerable and doesn’t trust herself. Through her POV we see the different relationships she has with her own mother, with her own child and the urgent need to stop the cycle of toxic parenting. How we let people hurt us because we feel that is what we deserve. The book is a tough read in some places, but Kate has managed to get some laugh out loud moments in there too. The characters have this dark humour and it lightens up the darker bits. To me (and this could just be my interpretation) the “murdering” side of the book was a mask for the woman’s depression, and how this can make her react and lash out at people. The wolf coat on the front cover symbolised this for me, a sort of layer she wears to protect herself and her child. But that could just be my wild imagination there - read this one and let me know what you thought!
I think fans of Sheena Patel will love this one! There are no names for any of the characters adding that unreliable element and also I just fucking love a dark quirky read.
As I said I’m blown away that this is a debut novel, it’s a must read guys!! Thank you so much to @4thestatebooks for this copy x
𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
𝐈 𝐫𝐮𝐧. 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠”
What an incredible debut! Honestly really really good. I’ve been struggling to stay engaged with books lately but This is Where We Live had me hooked from the first few pages. Short sharp chapters, an unreliable narrator and a story about how fucking stressful it can be being a mother (not that I know, but this book quite easily made me imagine it).
The narrator (a mother) is mysterious, wild and furious but also vulnerable and doesn’t trust herself. Through her POV we see the different relationships she has with her own mother, with her own child and the urgent need to stop the cycle of toxic parenting. How we let people hurt us because we feel that is what we deserve. The book is a tough read in some places, but Kate has managed to get some laugh out loud moments in there too. The characters have this dark humour and it lightens up the darker bits. To me (and this could just be my interpretation) the “murdering” side of the book was a mask for the woman’s depression, and how this can make her react and lash out at people. The wolf coat on the front cover symbolised this for me, a sort of layer she wears to protect herself and her child. But that could just be my wild imagination there - read this one and let me know what you thought!
I think fans of Sheena Patel will love this one! There are no names for any of the characters adding that unreliable element and also I just fucking love a dark quirky read.
As I said I’m blown away that this is a debut novel, it’s a must read guys!! Thank you so much to @4thestatebooks for this copy x
June 2, 2023
This book was such a good read! It gave a great insight into what it feels to be a woman and a mother rather than what it means, which felt like a good new perspective who read. While I felt like the imagery was a little predictable and some of the chapters were slightly repetitive the overall effect was really striking and heartbreaking, would definitely recommend! x
September 20, 2023
Wauw! Dat was intens, rauw & bijzonder.
December 24, 2023
This book has some of the most incredible passages on the difficulty of early motherhood. How we are told to work towards and expect certain calm togetherness with birthing and post-natal experience but we are sheltered from the crazy fallout that actually exists when you have grown and created a person from your body. This book is a must read for all pregnant women. It’s more honest and true than most “real” birthing and parenting books in non-fiction.
August 4, 2023
Dark, unsettling (yet also comforting in a strange way) and SO BEAUTIFUL!
All the stars for this gem of a book.
All the stars for this gem of a book.
August 1, 2023
I must admit I hadn’t heard of this book when it arrived in the post in early July. Kate Hardie is an English actress and author, and this is her debut novel. The blurb on the back drew me in:
“A single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?”
This is Where we Live is a short, disturbing, literary tale of a mother on the edge. It has much in common with Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, depicting as it does the dark side of motherhood, but it’s more abstract and goes further, delving into the deep-seated generational trauma that can be an insurmountable obstacle for many women.
There is also trans/non-binary rep (very subtly and skilfully done) and a beautiful note at the beginning of the book with a content warning.
Less than 200 pages, I found it a powerful, impactful read and read it hungrily, despite it being quite the opposite of a holiday read. It has been compared to Rachel Cusk’s A Life’s Work and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch (I’ve read neither but both on my tbr). An author to watch. 4/5⭐️
*Many thanks to the publisher @4thestatebooks @harpercollinsire for the proof copy. This is Where We Live was published on 6 July 2023. As always, this is an honest review.*
“A single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.
But her child needs to get to school. There’s a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.
Raising her child alone, she’s done all she can to protect them. But what if she’s the thing they need protecting from the most?”
This is Where we Live is a short, disturbing, literary tale of a mother on the edge. It has much in common with Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, depicting as it does the dark side of motherhood, but it’s more abstract and goes further, delving into the deep-seated generational trauma that can be an insurmountable obstacle for many women.
There is also trans/non-binary rep (very subtly and skilfully done) and a beautiful note at the beginning of the book with a content warning.
Less than 200 pages, I found it a powerful, impactful read and read it hungrily, despite it being quite the opposite of a holiday read. It has been compared to Rachel Cusk’s A Life’s Work and Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch (I’ve read neither but both on my tbr). An author to watch. 4/5⭐️
*Many thanks to the publisher @4thestatebooks @harpercollinsire for the proof copy. This is Where We Live was published on 6 July 2023. As always, this is an honest review.*
October 9, 2025
‘I regret so much of our life together. I was an inadequate parent, only half formed myself.’
i thought this was going to be gruesome horror like the lamb but realized all the horror was metaphorical. i feel stupid because i spent the whole book waiting and waiting. knowing now it is about the horrors of motherhood, i absolutely think this book is impactful. at this stage of my life (18, prude) i do not think any of this really resonates with me - i’m a horror read/fantasy girl. but it definitely expresses a deep inner fear i have of motherhood. i’m confused on what even happened through this and i hate being confused. i found it reflective and very authentic on the experiences of a woman.
i thought this was going to be gruesome horror like the lamb but realized all the horror was metaphorical. i feel stupid because i spent the whole book waiting and waiting. knowing now it is about the horrors of motherhood, i absolutely think this book is impactful. at this stage of my life (18, prude) i do not think any of this really resonates with me - i’m a horror read/fantasy girl. but it definitely expresses a deep inner fear i have of motherhood. i’m confused on what even happened through this and i hate being confused. i found it reflective and very authentic on the experiences of a woman.
December 31, 2023
-> 3.75 ✨️
This book was so much more than I expected it to be. I think I'm just not in the position to completely understand it, since I'm not a mother and didn't experience motherhood. But I still think that this is such an important read and the author did an amazing job by picturing motherhood in a more realistic way for many women. Motherhood isn't always peaceful and wholesome; it can also be full of guilt and unhappiness.
This book was so much more than I expected it to be. I think I'm just not in the position to completely understand it, since I'm not a mother and didn't experience motherhood. But I still think that this is such an important read and the author did an amazing job by picturing motherhood in a more realistic way for many women. Motherhood isn't always peaceful and wholesome; it can also be full of guilt and unhappiness.
May 31, 2024
A darkly honest portrayal of motherhood and mental illness. I spent a lot of this book trying to figure out what was metaphor and what was actually happening. Still don't quite know, but that seems intentional. The most powerful part, to me, is the monologue near the end - you'll know it when you get there.
December 5, 2024
3.5stars pretty good, I like how it tackles how hard motherhood can be as well as many other subjects. Can't give it more because I didn't catch on that she was talking about they/them as a singular person and not twins/more than 1 kid.
April 28, 2025
Bardzo ciekawy obraz dalekiego od ideału macierzyństwa, z całym bagażem personalnych problemów matki, niepokojem i paranojami. Jeśli podobało wam się Nightbitch, to ta książka ma podobny vibe, ale jest mniej dziwna.
October 13, 2025
4.5 stars
Beautifully written, with lots of emotion without it feeling too much or too cliché. I liked the pacing throughout the whole novel, which interwove the unnamed protagonist's current story with her past as a mom, a daughter, a romantic partner, a woman.
Beautifully written, with lots of emotion without it feeling too much or too cliché. I liked the pacing throughout the whole novel, which interwove the unnamed protagonist's current story with her past as a mom, a daughter, a romantic partner, a woman.
August 5, 2023
Didn't like the way it was writen. Was jarring at times. Clever idea the metaphor between mother hood, mental health and transformation into something wild because of it. Just didn't enjoy it, wasn't for me and it was very unpolished and found it hard to read.
September 11, 2024
Very visceral.
November 13, 2024
Wow!
Everyone and their mother should read this!
Everyone and their mother should read this!
December 14, 2024
That was a lot!
July 14, 2023
It's always a massive surprise how the smaller works of fiction seem to manage to pack the most significant punch. Honestly, the portrayal of (m)otherhood and the depictions of the "feral woman", as well as the well-integrated non-binary and trans representation manage to feel both raw and honest. There's really nothing picturesque about it in the best way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews