The author of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings talks to Alex Preston about her new book Mother Animal, which investigates motherhood in the animal world, combining personal memoir with scientific insight. When Helen Jukes becomes pregnant and her body becomes increasingly strange to her, she looks beyond humans to ask how motherhood works in other species – the result is this startling new vision of what mothering can be.

Helen Jukes was born in London and grew up in the Midlands. She studied at the University of Nottingham and Goldsmiths College. Jukes was among the founding members of the Bee Friendly Trust and tutors at the creative writing programme at Oxford University.

Alex Preston writes for the Observer and the Guardian. His books include In Love and War; As Kingfishers Catch Fire; and Winchelsea.

Photo © Amanda Jackson