The closer you get to someone you love, the more painfully you can hurt each other...

The Porcupine's Dilemma is a wonderfully observed novel about Irene who, in the twilight of her life, finds herself surrounded not only by her children and grandchildren but also by their personal crises and uncertainties.

Mapstone’s detailing of the tensions between Irene’s failing body and her healthy recalcitrant mind which insists on maintaining her independence and her dignity, is one of the highlights of this absorbing read.

This is a remarkably accomplished, wholly absorbing portrayal of family, the love and tensions that bind them, and ultimately, an old woman’s gracious retreat from life. It is not only about ageing and dying, but also about life: the gift of offspring and perpetuity through those who come after.