Growing up, Kelly Denley had dreamed of the perfect family, and of being the perfect mum, but as the mother of eight she discovered that almost perfect was actually just perfect enough …
After being a full-time wife and mother since the age of 17, by 31 Kelly Denley has lost sight of who she truly is, so when the pregnancy test comes back positive for number eight, she isn't exactly ecstatic. Then things get a whole lot worse. Postnatal depression takes its toll on Kelly, her father is given just a year to live, her husband is retrenched, one daughter is hospitalised and another on antidepressants and, in a final frightening development, her eldest boy, who suffers from Asperger's, threatens suicide. Distraught, Kelly blames herself and knows that everything has to change.
As the family gradually find their feet, in a bid to prove she's more than just a mother, Kelly takes a giant leap out of her comfort zone and dons a school uniform to finish an education cut short by teen pregnancy. The suburban mum, used to sneers about her large brood like 'Don't you know what causes it?' blitzes the HSC with an amazing 97.3.
But that, it turns out, is just the start of an incredible journey for the Denleys. Concerned about her children's school problems and behaviour, Kelly takes dramatic action, putting her university dream on hold so the family can travel Australia for a year in the hope that the experience will draw them closer together. How Kelly tackles both the joy and pain that lie in wait, from discovering the beauty in nature she'd always been too busy to see and mastering the art of home-schooling in a tent, to nearly drowning in a flooded river and more heartache over her children, makes Almost Perfect an inspiring, moving, yet often hilarious rollercoaster ride of a memoir.
Reading Group Book Questions
- Kelly refers to her eldest daughter Brittany as a ‘mini-mum’. Do you think Brittany was forced to grow up before her peers? What positive or negative repercussions could come from this? Do you have a mini-mum in your house?
- Kelly constantly feels the eyes of others judging her and attributes some of her depression to this. Have you ever felt pressured to impress people you don’t know? Has this affected you and your family and how? Do you think only people with larger families experience this or do all women feel pressure to be a ‘good’ mum all the time?
- Letting her eldest son leave home at fifteen and then making the decision to leave him behind while the trip continued was one of the hardest decisions Kelly ever had to face. How do you measure cost in this case? What decision would you make in that situation? Have you had or do you know of someone who has had similar experiences with a child?
- Kelly talks about her multiple personalities, Conservative Mum, Eccentric Mum and Rebellious Mum. Do you have multiple mum personalities? What are they and do they cause mental rioting in your life?
- Kelly went back to high school still in the throes of postnatal depression and with a family in emotional chaos. Do you think it’s important for a mum to have something else in her life other than motherhood? Do you sometimes feel that the identity you had before your child/children arrived has been lost? How hard/easy has it been for you to incorporate motherhood into your life?
About The Author
Kelly Denley is an artist, photographer and mother of eight. She is married to Rob and lives in Sydney.
