Television for Women

A darkly humorous debut novel in which we meet Estie, who’s wrestling with the horrors of banality, such as not enjoying her marriage and not liking motherhood much either …

Estie isn’t sure she likes being eight months pregnant. She isn’t sure she likes her husband anymore, either, who got fired from his tenured position as a professor just in time for parenthood. Goodbye, upward mobility! Goodbye, life as Estie imagined it! And goodbye Alice, Estie’s preppy, East Coast best friend, who’s been ignoring her calls ever since Estie told her about the baby. 

When Estie gives birth to a girl she can’t be certain she loves, she begins to suspect that all the stories she’s been told about marriage and motherhood might not be true. How is someone as flawed as Estie supposed to help her baby grow into a woman who looks hot in yoga pants? Estie fears she’s destined to end up like her own mother, divorced and crying in the bathroom while her daughter stands outside the door and wonders if she’s okay.

Darkly humorous and startlingly honest, Television for Women explores the realities of life postpartum—the demands of children on women’s identities and relationships, and the mad acts one commits to stop from losing control. Perfect for fans of Lorrie Moore and Kristen Arnett.

Danit Brown holds an MFA in fiction from Indiana University. Her stories have appeared in numerous literary journals, including Story, Glimmer Train, StoryQuarterly, and One Story. Her short story collection, Ask for a Convertible, was published in 2008. Brown currently teaches at Albion College in Michigan.