It was in 2003 that Lisa Nikolidakis‘ brother Mike called to tell her that her father was dead. And more than that, he had shot and killed two other people before turning the gun on himself.

As they try to process his actions, only Lisa has a better idea of what he had been capable of. He’d been coming into her bedroom at night from the time she was a young girl. He once held her at gunpoint in the kitchen demanding to know where her mother was.

They were all victims of his drunkenness, mood swings, and violet behaviors. And yet, all this was interspersed with moments of casual affection and laughter.

This is a powerful memoir about a young women’s descent into alcohol and drug abuse. Her disassociation from the world and her family, and her eventual discovery of what trauma is, and her harrowing journey to comprehend its impact.

A beautifully written, extraordinary memoir that situates you in a place and time with fearless honesty, and brings you forward into amelioration. Highly recommended.