“Grief is a swarm of feelings that swirls inside of you for your whole life; it’s a weight that settles around the eyes, transforms the shape of a laugh. It is sadness mixed with a furious rage churning in an ocean of helplessness.”

This is a coming of age story about the author’s family dysfunction and a reflection on mental health issues.

When Margaret Kimball is four years old in 1988, her mom attempts suicide in the shed on Mother’s Day. Kimball uses hospital records, home videos, family photos, her own diaries and other archives to piece together her family history.

Although her mother’s mental illness and the ultimate divorce of her parents is tragic, there is plenty of humor in these pages as well.