Review Detail

I was trying to describe this excellent book to a friend of mine and his first reaction was, "But isn't it depressing?" Your first thought might be the same...but you'd be just as wrong as he was.

Ms. Sones' first book is about her own experiences as a young adult when her sister "went crazy." The experience redefined the way their family interacted with each other and even how they felt about themselves.

But the book isn't depressing. It's really very hopeful and uplifting. There sometimes is a light at the end of the tunnel and Ms. Sones shows us the way.

The book is written entirely in poetic form and takes you from when things were "normal":

I can

remember what

things were like before she

got sick: my whole family climbed

into



the big

hammock on the

moondappled beach, wove

ourselves together, and swayed

as one.

to the end of the book, when the family is finally starting to come to terms with the way things are when:

And tonight,

for once,

it feels okay

to just be



three.

Along the way, you are treated to the ups and downs of dealing with mental illness. You see how everyday life intrudes upon you and how family upheavals affect your life on every level.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone; especially teenagers and most especially to anyone that has been touched by the unforgiving hand of mental illness.