The Sky Isn't Visible from Here

This must be one of the most difficult reviews to write - not because I disliked the book - it's by far one of the best memoir I've read in ages - but I have a fear of not getting my review just right.

In some ways, I just want to say "Trust me, read it" because this book has stayed with me ever since finishing and probably always will.

Books should do that.

Felicia Sullivan, presents her most personal, emotional and abusive experiences in The Sky Isn't Visible from Here a memoir of growing up in Brooklyn with her mom and the impact it had on her life so far.

Without following the usual chronological formula account of her childhood through adulthood, Sullivan's memories of growing up with different men around, some abusive, others addicted are woven with her memories of hiding her past during college, and also with the relationship between her and her mother as an adult.

Her story is intense, and reading the trauma of unstable childhood contrasted with her addictions as a successful young adult is heart breaking. She came out a stronger woman dealing with the past that so harshly shaped her life.

Her recollections build connections between her past and her own addictions and her descriptions make her life Brooklyn vivid. Because of this, it made reading about her pain and abuse even more difficult.

As a parent to a young girl, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the relationship between Sullivan and her mother. How as a child, she was the rock, the dependable one, and her mother the selfish child. I'm not naive. I know this is more common than anyone would like to admit and I've seen it close-up with friends but that doesn't make it any easier to understand. This book made me examine how the love between parent and child isn't untouchable and how that bond can be severed and broken. Sometimes it needs to be done just to survive. That is a huge pill to swallow.

How Felicia Sullivan has achieved so much success is impressive even without knowing her past, but reading this book makes me want to meet her and give her the g*ddamn biggest high five ever.

I really encourage you to read what other bloggers have said about this The Sky Isn't Visible from Here over at the Parent Bloggers Network. Leave a comment at PBN and you could win a copy of Felicia Sullivan's book.