*Pieces of My Mother

bfbc pieces motherMelissa Cistaro’s memoir tugs, no yanks at your heart strings.  The story opens with 3-year-old Melissa looking out her bedroom window and watching her mother leave. Not just for the supermarket or the day, but forever. In an ironic true twist the story basically ends with Melissa’s mother looking out of her own bedroom window as Melissa drives away.

The author’s prose is so spot on that you are with her on this journey.  You feel her loneliness and her numbness as she tries to understand the world around her.  As if being abandoned by her mother wasn’t enough, she also has to contend with an alcoholic father and two brothers with like addictions.  One brother suffers from uncontrollable rage outbursts.

Let’s be clear this is not a fun, uplifting story.  It’s a story about growing up with addiction and mental illness and trying to stay on the right road without a map. Melissa navigates as best she can.

The story is so sad that at times it’s hard to keep reading.  But, I pushed forward wanting so badly for a big uplifting end.  That didn’t happened.  The author’s writing actually propelled me forward and kept me reading.

Our book club members found it so sad.  It is sad. We talked about levels of dysfunction in families and the ramifications to the children. We told a few of our own stories compared notes and shared our feelings.

“Pieces of My Mother” is perfect for book clubs because after you read it you definitely want to talk about it.

Rating: 7