by Adam Haslett
First published 2016
Margaret stands at her fiancé's hospital bedside and makes a choice that will define the next twenty years. She marries him despite his depression and brings him home to build a family. Their eldest son inherits his father's brilliance and his mental illness. Their daughter grows up responsible beyond her years. Their youngest son becomes Margaret's ally in managing the household's emotional storms. As her husband's condition worsens over time, Margaret finds herself caring for four people instead of building the partnership she once imagined. The family adapts to cycles of crisis and recovery. Each child responds differently to living with a father whose mind works against him. Margaret discovers that love requires more than commitment. It demands daily acts of endurance that reshape everyone in the house.
Genres: literary-fiction, mental-illness, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
515 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press Large Print
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, suicide