Siblings Anna, Adam, and Lydia were raised by progressive, intelligent parents (a civil rights lawyer and an investigative journalist) to be passionate world-changers. That pressure, plus what MUST have been a family predisposition towards anxiety and depression produced three very different results: Anna became a lawyer, Adam battled with depression throughout college before finding success in stand up comedy and writing, and Lydia struggled to find her path before ultimately killing herself as a young adult.
Lydia’s suicide obliterates Adam. She had been there for him throughout his own depressive episodes, but he wasn’t able to help her through hers. He blames himself for being busy and unaware. It’s absolutely heart-breaking to see how this family reacts to the loss of their youngest, and how they put themselves back together.
Adam starts the memoir with his childhood, and takes us through the ups and downs of his own life and his relationship with his family. After Lydia’s death, Adam suffered from PTSD and eventually sought treatment with EMDR therapy, which I had not heard of prior to this but it sounds interesting!
It’s such a sad book, but it’s not ALL sad — thus the “tragi-comic” label. Adam and Lydia had such a great relationship — I just wanted to hang out with them. You know Lydia’s fate from the start, and that just makes everything leading up to her suicide so loaded and poignant. I can’t imagine Adam will ever be fully at peace with his sister’s death, but he continues to live his life in her honor.