by Mira Bartok
First published 2011
Mira Bartók tells the story of her family's struggle with her mother's mental illness. Norma Herr was a gifted piano student before schizophrenia struck at nineteen. As her condition worsened, she became obsessed with fears about Nazis and threats to her daughters. Her calls and unexpected visits escalated into harassment that forced Mira and her sister to change their names and cut contact. Years later, a car accident leaves Mira with brain injuries that force her to relearn basic skills like painting and reading. During her recovery, she learns her mother is dying in a Cleveland homeless shelter. The sisters travel there for an unexpected reconciliation. At the hospital, Mira finds keys to a storage unit Norma kept for seventeen years, filled with family photos and mementos that restore memories Mira thought were lost forever. Bartók combines her prose with original artwork to explore how family bonds survive even the most damaging circumstances.
Genres: mental-illness, non-fiction, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cleveland
320 pages · Kindle Edition · Free Press
Content warnings: mental-illness