This memoir is really the tale of a young woman who is trying to understand herself by way of understanding the extremely flawed and beautiful family from which she comes. Ford explores her family trauma in a way that is poignant and true.
Ford deeply explores the influences of her young life not only the family that brought her but more closely the parental figures she looked towards: her incarcerated father, her often-abusive mother, and her high-standard grandmother. As someone who grew up around explosive angers I appreciate the clarity and candor with which Ford talks about her mother. Her fear and desire to be good were palpable to the reader. I appreciate how she captured the duality of her grandmother being a person who was fiercely protective other her but also harshly critical all in the name of what is best.
The brutal image of the snakes hold onto each other while burning alive just sears into one's memory as the perfect metaphor for this family that is clutching to another.Though, I enjoyed this memoir overall I found it hard to connect to at the beginning and a bit slow to understand the story that was being told. I went in knowing nothing about the book, so to some extend that like of connection to the story may have been a byproduct of that. Overall, I found that I connected a lot with the story that she told and I appreciated the candor and vulnerability that she showed.
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