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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.
Engrossing, this book grabs you from the first page. And what a wild ride it is. Writing a little too descriptive, even for me!
Engrossing, this book grabs you from the first page. And what a wild ride it is. Writing a little too descriptive, even for me!
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
I won this in a GoodReads giveaway and ended up really enjoying it. Faced with her mother’s impending death she seeks answers about her horrific childhood. As mysteries unravel she begins to understand. And forgive.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
sad
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Violence
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Let me start off by saying that content warnings abound in this memoir. Be aware there is child abuse, rape, molestation, death, cancer, drug abuse, and mental illness abound throughout this book. This is all to say that the author and her mother both had very difficult childhoods and that translates into a very difficult read.
We meet the author, Stephanie Thornton Plymale, in middle age as a successful interior designer and owner of a design school. We learn that she has modeled her life on being the opposite of her mother in every way. Her mother was often unstable throughout Stephanie’s childhood, in and out of mental institutions and prison, with an array of boyfriends and often spouting off nonsensical delusions. This left Stephanie and her siblings in and out foster care situations and with no stability in their early lives.
The first part of this book really focuses on Stephanie’s early years, her contentious relationship with her mother, the difficulties in her marriage. It was hard to get through. What I found most fascinating was the second part of the book. Her mother is ill and Stephanie sees this as her chance to interview her mother to learn more about her childhood memories and ask about her heritage that have always been unknown. Stephanie learns more about her mother’s younger years and comes to understand her mother in a way she never has, and that allows her to find compassion for her mother.
I thought the end of this book was a beautiful story about forgiveness and understanding our parents as people with their own difficult lives, though I think everyone should know going in that it is a really hard life story and it might not be good for every reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicide, Car accident