After reading an extract from the novel, Pearson discussed with Stephanie Merritt her desire to tell
the often side-lined stories of women reaching middle age and navigating the trials of the workplace,
menopause and raising teenage children. She was adamant about the importance of novels in
documenting this “emotional, knock-on collateral damage” of everyday life.
Both motherhood and work have been principle themes in the Kate Reddy series, and Pearson spoke
of these in relation to both the novel and in a real-world context. She noted that it is currently one of
the “toughest times” to be a parent, with fresh challenges emerging in the form of the pressures
that social media has on young people. She also expressed hope that the novel might generate
discussion around the guilt that can come along with raising children.
Pearson insisted that we should not underestimate domestic labour and the notion
of women leaving work to raise children, calling How Hard Can It Be “a passionate hymn to the great
untold work that women do”. Given that the book deals with such relatable themes, Pearson received many responses and shared
experiences from readers, confirming that “the relationship with readers is what counts”.
With a film version of I Don’t Know How She Does It already released, the audience was told that How Hard Can
It Be? is set to be turned into a television drama by the producer of Big Little Lies, which is likely to
disseminate the novel’s themes to an even wider audience.
If you missed this talk, you might like to go to event 298 where Jojo Moyes talks to Georgina Godwin on Thursday 31 May at 7pm.