by A. M. Homes
First published 2008
A.M. Homes was arranged for adoption before her birth. Her biological mother was an unmarried woman involved with a much older married man who had children. Thirty years later, both biological parents reach out to make contact. Homes describes how they established communication and what followed. Her biological mother becomes obsessive in her pursuit of connection. Homes pieces together fragments of their past lives. The unmarried mother never wed or had other children, eventually dying from kidney disease. The father initially suggests he might welcome Homes into his family but never follows through. Years pass before Homes becomes consumed with learning everything possible about all four of her parents. She hires investigators and spends countless hours searching through newspaper archives, municipal records, and genealogy websites. The book captures her relentless quest to understand the people who shaped her existence and the complex emotions that drive her investigation into family secrets.
Genres: autobiography, biography-memoir, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, personal-quest, search-for-identity
Period: 30 Years Later
220 pages · Paperback · Anagrama
Content warnings: emotional-abuse, mental-illness