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876 reviews for:
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
Meg Kissinger
4.28 AVERAGE
876 reviews for:
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
Meg Kissinger
4.28 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief
While You Were Out looks in depth at author, and journalist, Meg Kissinger’s life growing up in a household surrounded by mental health issues. I wouldn’t necessarily say I was triggered by what I read, but I definitely related to a lot of it. I lost my dad to suicide in 94 at the age of 8. Suicide has far more awareness, and compassion, now than it did then and it broke my mother who already struggled with her own mental health. I appreciated that Meg narrated the audiobook without a lot of overt emotion because it would have broke me listening to it if she had. While You Weree Oht is gritty, deep and painfully beautiful.
Thank you Celadon Books for gifting me an ARC.
Thank you Celadon Books for gifting me an ARC.
This is an incredibly moving portrait of what can happen to a family when mental illness is not acknowledged or discussed. The author shares so many stark details of her childhood and early adulthood and I found the honesty and transparency really impactful. In part two she acknowledges and focuses in on how societal systems are set up against those with mental illness, and how we all need to come together to help those who need it most.
I always say that it’s not often that a book brings me to tears, but man this one made my heart hurt. I think Kissinger did an amazing job writing about mental illness, especially its evolution in society and impact on people personally. There is something really impressive about being able to discuss such tragedies as these so beautifully.
I’m not going to get too detailed, but I will say that when I picked the book up, it started off slow for me and I began to get lost because of all of her siblings. She introduced at least 10 characters immediately - it was overwhelming. That is my only criticism, but quickly I became attached to the story, characters, and the way she wrote.
When I read stories like this one, I’m torn between the thought that people with mental illness have resources/treatment/support so much better than those of the past, yet we still have so far to go and it feels unreachable. Such a thought provoking memoir and I highly recommend if you can stand the heaviness of the content. Know that the theme of this book is more about mental illness than it is focused on the author herself - she definitely used her experience and life story to send a strong message.
*Major trigger warnings around suicide, along with depression and alcohol abuse
I’m not going to get too detailed, but I will say that when I picked the book up, it started off slow for me and I began to get lost because of all of her siblings. She introduced at least 10 characters immediately - it was overwhelming. That is my only criticism, but quickly I became attached to the story, characters, and the way she wrote.
When I read stories like this one, I’m torn between the thought that people with mental illness have resources/treatment/support so much better than those of the past, yet we still have so far to go and it feels unreachable. Such a thought provoking memoir and I highly recommend if you can stand the heaviness of the content. Know that the theme of this book is more about mental illness than it is focused on the author herself - she definitely used her experience and life story to send a strong message.
*Major trigger warnings around suicide, along with depression and alcohol abuse