A review by kylienorwood
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger

4.0

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