When I was growing up, I thought my little brother was my uncle. I also thought my Papa left because of me. Say Uncle not only gives child’s eye details of adults who've gone off the deep end, but also turns an unflinching eye on the adult author, showing how patterns of deception pass through generations. My dysfunctional, uniquely vibrant family manages to endure, and Say Uncle shows what it is like to slowly heal and that the detour is the path. This memoir weaves through the silliness of poltergeists, Joey the Fairy, psychedelic wedding cakes, down through ill-treatment and disturbing incest, all without bitterness and with the same kind of irreverent eye Mary Karr uses in Liar’s Club. It’s more uplifting than Running with Scissors, probably instead like Skipping With Pinking Shears, heartbreaking like Dave Eggar’s childhood. I didn’t exactly live in Jeannette Walls’s Glass Castle; it was rather like a hippie shack on Ellis Island brought up by Grandmommy Dearest. If you came from a less than traditional family, Say Uncle will remind you that you are not alone, and ultimately, love and forgiveness are not only possible, but necessary if we are to heal and grow.
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