Rated of 5
by Carol J. (Isle, MN) Tough, realistic read
Not an easy book to read due to the topic, but realistically written. Even without a child with an addiction one can identify with Del's desire to fix her son's life. I believe the author accurately portrayed the ups and downs of the life of the addict and those around him.
I would recommend the book for anyone dealing with addiction, personally or peripherally. Some interesting insights as to the ripple effects of addiction.
Rated of 5
by Vicky Interesting Portrayal of Addiction
I really enjoyed the dual perspectives from mother and son on the son's addiction as well as mom's response to the addiction. I found that I wanted to keep picking the book up and read it later into the night than I should have. Even the peripheral characters had depth - mom's boyfriend as one. There was a lot going on - with their lives- the addiction, mental illness and past relationships with other characters and deceased family members.
I'd recommend it for book clubs since there are many decisions - good and bad - and consequences. We'd probably all see a part of our selves in someone.
Rated of 5
by Melissa Dark, Sad and Beautiful
A dark yet beautiful novel made even more haunting by the knowledge of the story being derived from true events in the author's life.
I could see shades of myself in the characters, as well as others in my life; enablers and addicts alike.
The author's writing style reminded me of modern day poetry. Through her prose she drew beautiful pictures of ugly situations.
Rated of 5
by Amellia Hmm...
The interesting part of this book is allowing the reader to be "in the head" of the two main characters. Your easily able to understand what's going on in the mother of the addict's head, as well as the addict. This gives the reader an understanding to the complex emotions of each character.
The not so interesting side of this novel is the overwhelming exhaustion I felt as I read. When I first read the synopsis, I suppose I had a Augusten Burroughs feel for the book. I was immediately excited to read this, why the Burroughs feel, I'm not sure. When I started reading I knew this was more intense than any other book I'd read. I pushed through to be able to give this a review...and give the book all of my attention until it was complete. Once I finished I was glad the book was over. I never felt anything other than sadness, depression and exhaustion as I read. The life of the addict and his mother is a never ending cycle of feeling drained. If the author wrote this in trying to capture these emotions, then they did a wonderful job. So dear readers...if you're looking for a book to keep you going at night, lift your spirits, or maybe take you on a little journey, I'd avoid this one. If you want to take a stroll in the lives of addicts and mental health issues ... this this is your book ... good luck.
Rated of 5
by Debbie Night Navigation
What a wonderful book. The characters really drew me into the story. The author was able to portray the problems drugs create between parent and child, no matter what their ages. I think we often assume only teens have drug problems, we don't often read accounts of adult children and their parents. The struggle can go on for years and this book provided insight into that problem.
I enjoyed the writing and the story and look forward to other books by this author.
Rated of 5
by Debi Night Navigation
This book was very hard for me to read because of the content, but yet it was extremely hard to put down. It was so easy to get involved in the lives of Del and Mark. To me the book was just as addictiive as Mark's addition to his drugs. I love getting totally involved in a book and I did with this one. Through Ginnah Howard's wonderfully sensitive writing, I was able to experience the same emotional ups and downs the characters experienced, from anger to love, from hope to disappointment, from steadfast loyalty to wanting to walk away.
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Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
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by Carol J. (Isle, MN) 
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by Melissa 
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by Amellia 
