All My Wild Mothers

ALL MY WILD MOTHERS is more than just a memoir. It’s a handbook on survival, and a testimony to radical hope.

At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett learns her sister has died in a canoeing accident. In that moment, her life changes. Five years later, and struggling with the demands of motherhood, grief and full-time care, Victoria and her family move to a new social housing estate in rural Cumbria.

Here, in the rubble of a former industrial site, she and her young son begin to grow a wild apothecary garden: daisy, for resilience; dandelion, for strength against adversity; sow thistle, to lift melancholy; and borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times. Stone by stone, seed by seed, they discover that sometimes life grows, not in spite what is broken, but because of it. All My Wild Mothers is a profound exploration of grief, identity, and rediscovery; a testament that life and love persists, even when we think all is lost.