What is "The Motherload" memoir about?

"The Motherload" memoir by Sarah Hoover explores the harsh realities of motherhood, rejecting the "perfect mother" narrative and providing an unflinching look at postpartum depression.

Sarah Hoover is the author of the memoir "The Motherload" and a cultural critic and influencer who moved from Indiana to New York to study art history.

How is "The Motherload" being adapted?

"The Motherload" is being developed as a drama series at 20th Television, with Stuart Zicherman as the showrunner and Hoover co-writing the pilot with Sas Goldberg.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Memoir Exposes the Unvarnished Truth of Postpartum Depression

Memoir Exposes the Unvarnished Truth of Postpartum Depression

10 Nov

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Summary

Memoir "The Motherload" being adapted into a drama series
Follows a millennial art dealer's unexpected struggles with motherhood
Rejects the "perfect mother" narrative, explores postpartum depression

Memoir Exposes the Unvarnished Truth of Postpartum Depression

In November 2025, it was announced that Sarah Hoover's memoir "The Motherload: Episodes From the Brink of Motherhood" is in development as a drama series at 20th Television. The series will follow Jennifer, a millennial art dealer, as she navigates the unexpected challenges of motherhood.

Instead of the joyful experience she anticipated, Jennifer finds herself overwhelmed by months of rage, brain fog, and self-medication. She experiences a "total surrender" of her sex life, career, and sense of identity, realizing she must confront her relationship with her own mother and the societal pressures placed on women in order to find fulfillment in parenthood.

Hoover's memoir, which is described as a rejection of the "euphoric narrative of giving birth," aims to provide an unflinchingly honest examination of postpartum depression. The book's publisher notes that it "dares to ask what happens when 'what to expect when you're expecting' turns out to be months of rage, anguish, brain fog, and a total surrender of sex, career, and identity."