'The Memory Palace'

I thought that nothing in the way of memoirs could match 'The Glass Castle'.  Jeanette Wall's spectacular life story left me amused but, most importantly, angry.  


And then 'The Memory Palace' arrived on my doorstep.  Although I found myself growing more and more upset while reading it, it ultimately reinforced my compassion for the author and her family.    


Mira Bartok has crafted a sensitive, artful depiction of life with a parent who suffered from schizophrenia, and later, cancer.  Although Mira and her sister abandoned their mother because they could no longer cope with her condition, they returned to her side when they learned she was dying of cancer.  Mira, herself, suffers from a brain injury sustained from a traumatic car accident, and as her story progresses, she searches for her mother and finds her living in a homeless shelter.  Finding herself walking in her mother's shoes, so to speak, she could relate to the mental horror her mother lived through each and every day.


This is a sensitive and extraordinary story, and the artwork contained within is greatly representative of the author's experiences.  'The Memory Palace' will promote great discussions among book club members, and will stay in your mind for a long time.