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Memoir Recounts Author's Dysfunctional Mother
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Published: February 3, 2008
"Her Last Death: A Memoir," by Susanna Sonnenberg (Scribner, $24)
Given the recent phenomenal success of Jeannette Walls' memoir, "The Glass Castle," it's not surprising that a number of memoirs about dysfunctional families and abusive parents are showing up this year.
"Her Last Death" is one such tale of a woman's struggle to deal with bad parenting.
Susanna Sonnenberg's memoir begins with a phone call from her aunt to let her know her mother, Daphne, has been in a terrible accident and is in a coma. Susanna is reassured by her aunt that there is a police report and hospital charts, which seems odd until the reader understands Daphne has faked serious illness before - for attention.
Susanna decides not to go to her mother's bedside, and the bulk of the memoir recounts the history between the two leading to that decision. Susanna's mother is a drug addict, a liar and a diva who craves the spotlight. Susanna was in charge of cleaning up her mother, getting help and taking care of her younger sister countless times as a child. Her mother bought her Penthouse magazine at age 12 to jump-start her sex education.
She later bought her drugs.
Susanna makes a compelling argument for not dropping everything to fly to her mother's aid this time while making it clear what a difficult decision it was for a woman who had always craved her mother's attention and approval.
The story bogs down a bit when Susanna moves her focus to her relationship with the man who ultimately becomes her husband and their struggles when starting a family. However, this memoir is an interesting and unpredictable peek into an unusual family's dynamic.
Stephanie Rebein of Kansas City, Mo., is a freelance writer.
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