“Insanity had taken root in my family tree, and I was tasked with tending our garden...”
About The Book:
After a decade of caring for crazy and keeping her mother’s mental illness a secret from the outside world, twenty-year-old Paolina Milana longs for just one year free from the madness of her home. When she gets the chance to go to an out-of-state school, she takes it, but her family won’t leave her be. Letter after letter arrives, constantly reminding her of the insanity rooted in her family tree. Even worse, the voices in her own head whisper words she’s not sure are normal. “Please don’t make me be like Mamma,” she prays to a God she’s not sure is listening.
REVIEW:
This was such an agonizing book to read, but I had a hard time putting it down. I felt myself pulling silently for Paolina, wondering how she was able to withstand so much horrific craziness at such a young age! Paolina is raw, vulnerable, honest - at times, shockingly so. And just when I thought she couldn't possibly see anymore grief come her way the book takes an unexpected turn.
Paolina's plans for the future are made more difficult by one unexpected bump after another, as she desperately tries to hide the family secret of her mother's schizophrenia.
While reading, I found myself agonizing over Paolina, hoping and praying there would be a break for her - a way out - an escape route to a sense of "normal" at some point. My heart broke for what she lost growing up and into her teen years, but at the same time my admiration for her grew. When you read this story, and realize what she had to overcome, it is amazing. Anyone who has walked the path of a caregiver or has lived with mental illness in their family, will be able to identify with Paolina's struggles.
You can buy this book on Amazon by clicking the book cover below:
THANK YOU:
My thanks to Paolina, and PR by the Book for an advanced complimentary copy to review.
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