What do readers think of The Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah? Write your own review.

What a wonderfully human book, it pulls at the heartstrings. This book is about Anna, Tobias and Freya, their new born daughter. Her brain didn't develop properly; she'll be physically and mentally handicapped. It's their journey of coping, learning the everyday requirements of feeding, bathing, nurturing and loving this child against their better judgment with no hope of Freya's improvement through the years. It is as Anna says "Love is the earth that holds our roots in place. Without it, there's nothing to keep us from falling over".

It is the triumph of love over the unexpected difficulties of life.

I think this book is misnamed. The ratty – yes, as in rats – kitchen is, of course a symbol of Anna's (the narrator) life gone drastically wrong, but the title itself is too flip for the depths of this book.
There is much to experience: The birth and care of a severely disabled child. A fascinating debacle of an old estate set in the lush and wild French countryside. Vivid, bizarre, engaging characters offering their advice and moral compasses to a young mother/chef finding her way in a harsh, new world. Mother/daughter relationships are carefully examined, as is the roller coaster of marriage. World War I and II exploits play a part in the plot, as does the nurturing of a garden and family and friends. Anna notes, "…human beings are sometimes so resilient, sometimes so easily overturned." The ending is a bit too tidy and convenient for the tumultuous story, but all is well written. This is a book one endures, rather than enjoys.