Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love

Aron explains in the opening chapter of this captivating debut that her memoir seeks to explore the underpinnings of codependency and to launch a conversation about what it means to love an addict. She tells the passionate and heartbreaking story of her on-again, off-again relationship with K, a heroin addict. She unflinchingly describes an existence with K full of broken promises and relapses that was “incompatible with adult life,” where she enabled his behavior by providing the support, care, and money needed to feed his addiction. Aron also provides a portrait of her family, including an addicted sister and enabling mother, that helps explain her willingness to remain in a life of destructive codependency. Research related to the psychology of addiction, the gendered nature of codependency, the women involved in the temperance movement, and a brief history of Al-Anon are interwoven with Aron’s personal story. These sections inform and enhance the work; however, they would have been much more valuable, especially to researchers, had there been notes providing complete citations for the sourced information.