And Now I Spill the Family Secrets
“An extraordinarily honest look at life behind closed doors, and with a sublimely redemptive conclusion. A welcome debut that will leave readers eager for a successor—and soon.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In the spirit of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Roz Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Margaret Kimball's AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS begins in the aftermath of a tragedy.
In 1988, when Kimball is only four years old, her mother attempts suicide on Mother's Day-and this becomes one of many things Kimball's family never speaks about. As she searches for answers nearly thirty years later, Kimball embarks on a thrilling journey into the secrets her family has kept for decades.
Using old diary entries, hospital records, home videos, and other archives, Margaret pieces together a narrative map of her childhood-her mother's bipolar disorder, her grandmother's institutionalization, and her brother's increasing struggles-in an attempt to understand what no one likes to talk about: the fractures in her family.
Both a coming-of-age story about family dysfunction and a reflection on mental health, AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS is funny, poignant, and deeply inspiring in its portrayal of what drives a family apart and what keeps them together.
Praise