[Review] The maternal, digital subjectivity, and the aesthetics of interruption by E. L. Putman, London, Bloomsbury, 2022, £66.50 (hardback), £20.29 (paperback), £18.26 (ebook), ISBN: 978-1-5013-9213-9

Review of El Putnam’s The Maternal Digital: Subjectivity and the Aesthetics of Interruption (2022) critically examines the intersections of maternal subjectivity, digital technologies, and artistic performance. Central to Putnam’s argument is the concept of ‘interruption’, a force that disrupts identity, time, and agency, shaping the uncanny realities of contemporary motherhood. Drawing on feminist theory, performance studies, and digital media analysis, Putnam explores how artists such as Fatimah Tuggar, Amanda Coogan, and Mary Kelly navigate the tensions between care, identity, and digital mediation. She critiques the commodification of maternal subjectivity within digital capitalism while also recognising the potential for alternative modes of self-expression and community-building. While the book’s breadth can feel overwhelming, its combination of theoretical rigour, artistic case studies, and personal narrative makes it a vital contribution to feminist digital studies and maternal aesthetics.