Barbara Santarelli

"Truth's Daughter" by Barbara Santarelli was not quite what I expected from the blurb, but it turned out to be a fascinating and relatable read. It is a memoir describing the backstory of Barabara and her decision to procure a DNA test in order to locate other siblings and relatives on her father's side of the family,

It is beautifully written and sincere and the insights into living in The Bronx and the less affluent parts of New York was interesting in and of itself. As a child of a mostly absent father, I absolutely related to Santarelli's struggles to establish (or at least understand) her relationship with her absent parent and their places in each other's worlds. I also appreciate the relationship with her mother and the underlying tensions with her seething anger, disappointment and distress at her failed marriage and the need to be balanced when it came to the children and their relationship with their father.

The book gently compares the understanding of a child and then the subsequent adult of the experience of a broken home, and asks the question "how has this impacted my development as a person". At times I found it difficult to read as it shone a spotlight on some of my own unresolved issues with my parents, but overall I found it a genuine, interesting and relatable read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (mere)