Daphne Merkin

It was well-written, deeply personal and compelling, but I couldn't give it five stars. For one, it was only half a memoir of depression--it was at least half, and possibly more, a memoir of a very destructive mother-daughter relationship. For which I have a ton of sympathy, but the story of the relationship and the story of the depression, while discussed at the same time, were rarely connected in a meaningful way. The reader is left to tease out for themselves how the relationship contributed to the depression.

(I agree that it did; it's just that the way it was written it felt more like two books shuffled together in one.)

Also, I felt so terribly sorry for her. Even years after her mother's death she's not able to let go of her need for her approval. So in addition to a book about abuse and a book about depression it was, I guess, a book about how incredibly difficult it is to change.… (mere)