Jeanette Winterson grew up in northern English industrial town with a Pentecostal mother who often locked her out of the house, leaving Jeanette to fare for herself on the front doorstep for hours at a time. Jeanette leaves home at 16 after realizing that she is attracted to another woman. Nine years later she publishes a highly regarded novel that is a fictionalized version of her truth. Almost two decades later she seeks to find her birth family. This is Jeanette's journey to understand herself through her past.
This is a short novel that I knocked out in a weekend day. I fell in love with Jeanette's disarming and heartfelt truth that she lays out for her readers. She spares no pain and no experience as she treats the reader as a cherished friend, sharing her tale over a hot toddy or chamomile tea. Her story is absolutely painful to read even from a distance--to feel that unloved, that uncared for, and that much of a failure to your mother--how could you possibly not break? I cheered for Jeanette as she drove away from the painful existence she was living.
If you are a fan of Jeanette's work, or just dysfunctional family memoirs in general, this is certainly worth a read. If you care about the human condition or love a tale of resilience, this is it. If you just enjoy good books, pick this up.
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