Martha Baillie’s deeply layered response to her mother’s passing, her father's life, and her sister’s suicide explores how our bodies, the spaces we inhabit, and our languages provide a temporary home for the psyche. The memoir unfolds through three essays, each centered on a death. The first reflects on the author’s mother, whose prolonged decline invites contemplation and the ritual of preparing her body. The second essay delves into the author’s father, whose charm and remoteness created a void in the family even before his earlier death. The final essay confronts the shocking loss of the author’s sister, a visual artist and writer battling schizophrenia, who inscribes her reasons for dying on her bedroom wall before taking her life. This intimate examination of family reveals the divergence of reality and the complexities of grief. Critics praise Baillie’s work for its singularity and generosity, noting the exquisite unfolding of her family’s “disobedient tale” and its meditation on grief, art, and memory. The memoir is described as stunning, intense, and meticulous, capturing the tragic nuances of childhood, sibling relationships, and mental illness. It combines guilt, tenderness, and affection in evocative prose, offering both a plea for and an act of exoneration, ultimately reflecting on the profound challenges of being human.
