Review: Her

This is a raw and devastating memoir about what it means to lose an identical twin. After being raped Cara Parravani fell into deep depression and substance abuse, which culminated in her suicide. Cara's identical twin, Christa, was left to pick up the pieces. for those who are not twins, this is a fascinating read about what it is like to have another person who feels like part of your body. In grief Christa faces her own depression and addiction.

This is a deep and emotional memoir. It highlights the prevalence of abuse-- the Parravani girls are abused as children, and Cara is raped as an adult. It shows the dangers and miseries of substance abuse, and the overwhelmingness of grief. This memoir is both elegantly written and affecting.

Christa Parravani, Her (Henry Holt, 2013) ISBN: 0805096531 

Review: Losing Clementine

Clementine Pritchard plans to commit suicide. This novel follows the last thirty days of her life as she plans for her demise. Among her projects are finding her father, who disappeared years ago, finding new owners for her cat, and obtaining the animal tranquilizers that will do the deed.

I really liked this book. Clementine is endowed with a wicked sense of humor, and there's plenty of entertaining snark in the first-person narrative. We learn more about Clementine's traumatic family life over the course of the book. There are also plenty of lush and interesting descriptions of Los Angeles (and of Mexican food- I found myself frequently getting hungry while reading this.)

The one thing I found unsatisfactory about this book was the ending. The concept for the book is excellent. I'm not sure, though, that it's possible to have a satisfying ending to this sort of story. We spend the duration of the book wondering if Clementine will kill herself of not. Either way, it seems, the reader will be disappointed. This reader was quite disappointed in the ending.

Ashley Ream, Losing Clementine (William Morrow, 2012) ISBN: 0062093630 

Self-Portrait With Ghosts by Kelly Dwyer

Self-Portrait with Ghosts tells the story of a woman, Kate, and her daughter, Audrey, who are forced to cope with the the suicide of their brother/uncle Luke. The story is told in alternating chapters, told in the present via Kate/Audrey, and in flashback via Luke. These flashback chapters explain Luke's life and what leads to his suicide. What emerges from this is that Luke is desperately, almost hopelessly depressed, and the rest of the family is plagued by problems too. The result of Luke's suicide is that it ultimately brings the family together, particularly Kate and her estranged sister Colleen. Clearly the saddest character in the book is Luke, who is extremely depressed, to a level that anti-depressants cannot help. He seems, in short, to be wired differently in a way that is incompatible with life. Luke is presented as the kindest and least flawed character. In Dwyer's presentation it's almost as if Luke *has* to die. He's the saintly sacrifice that mends his family's wounds. Luke is kind, he's quiet, he gets along with all of his family members, he's generous. These are all things of which the rest of the family falls short. The irony in the story is that Luke's calmness and kindness are what allow the family to stay divided. His moderating influence preserves the divide. Ultimately, I'm struggling to find the larger point of this book. There's a great deal of sadness, some heartfelt family moments, but there didn't seem to be a larger takeaway. While engaging enough to read, it's not the sort of book that left me thinking about it afterward.

Kelly Dwyer, Self-Portrait with Ghosts (Berkeley, 2000) ISBN: 0425176967