Nothing Holds Back the Night

Though billed as a novel, this book is very much a memoir. As the author seeks to come to terms with her mother Lucile's suicide, she interviews relatives in order to imagine Lucile's childhood in a large family touched by tragedies—the deaths of two siblings, another born with Down syndrome, and possible sexual abuse by their father. This part of the story is the most novelistic, though it is occasionally interrupted by reflections on the process of uncovering and interpreting information, creating a kind of detective story. Then the focus shifts to Lucile's struggle with mental illness, her hospitalization and its effects, and especially her inability to care for her two daughters. Lucile emerges as a fascinatingly complex woman struggling to conquer her demons and even finding success for long periods but ultimately succumbing to despair in the face of physical illness. The author's deep love, rage, frustration, and grief are moving and palpable.