Saville writes a very moving memoir, of a childhood spent with her free-spirit talented alcoholic mother in California during the 1960s and 1970s. She and her brother have learned to fend for themselves, as the mother opens the house to all manner of artists, musicians, and hippies. Their father is an absent figure, who also doesn't want to bear the responsibility of raising his own children. The mother slips farther down into alcoholism and mental illness, alternately living in her old abandoned house or in a vacant lot. Saville has long-since moved on and tried to build her own life as an adult with her own wants, needs, and ambitions. She lives with resentment and hostility toward her mother, who seems to hold the same opinion of Saville. When her mother is found raped and murdered in the old abandoned house, the family tries to come together to sort things out and come to some peace with their relationships. Clues to her mother's early life come to light when the author finds a box of her mother's notebooks, letters, and miscellaneous personal documents. She seeks to understand better the mother she only experienced as a small child, and to rebuild broken family relationships with her father and siblings. I don't know why so many memoirs are written by female authors about their dysfunctional, mentally ill, addicted mothers. Is it the mother-daughter relationship that is so fraught with emotion and unmet expectations? I don't know, but Saville did a wonderful job. I am beginning immediately on "Henry and Rachel", a novel based on actual letters the author found from her great-grandfather. Saville is an insightful author, bringing her stories to life for the reader. I'm always fascinated by the story of other people's lives. I'm amazed at what they have gone through and how they have responded. Laurel's life is so completely different from my " normal" upbringing that I can't imagine that I would have turned out near as well. But Laurel, thank you for sharing your life. And thank you for showing how often what we think is the real story behind the motives and actions of others, really isn't true. There's more to people than we see or ever imagine. It's a beautifully written book. I'm ready to read about Henry and Rachel next.
What do You think about Unraveling Anne (2011)?
Unflinching look at growing up with a mom who was the antithesis of June Cleaver.
—ria
Interesting. I like the way she ended the book.
—risha117
