Fiona L. - , reviewed on 6/14/2011

Helpful Score: 2

Perhaps my expectations were too high. Though the story had a potential to be a great book, I was not impresssed with the way the author presented the material. Excerpts from her sister's life sprung up all over the place throughout the book (making it often times very repetitive), alongside facts about random people who have also committed suicide (after a while it seemed like the author listed EVERYONE she knew or heard of who had ever commited suicide- a friend of a friend, this aunt, and this famous poet, and that famous person). Moreover, though suicide is a difficult subject to write about, I expected the book to be more of a celebration her sister's life- no matter how short- or a celebration of the fragility of life in general. Unfortunately, the author was not able to convey her grief/suffering in a way that was gracious- she plays the victim card, blaming people, her absent father, herself. To be honest, I think she just needs to accept that her sister took her own life, respect her decision, and understand that obessessing over what could have/should have been done is unhealthy. I'm sure she went through a lot, probably more than I ever will, but there's beauty that can be found in such harship. It is unfortunate that the author could not get past her seeminly "poor me" attitude to write about it. I'm not blaming her for writing a book filled with such self-pity, but if I ever feel the need to write a book and share my story about losing someone, I sure hope that it would inspire others.

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