One Stop West of Hinsdale: Love Derailed in a Sixties Suburb
One Stop West of Hinsdale: Love Derailed in a Sixties Suburb
One Stop West of Hinsdale: Love Derailed in a Sixties Suburb
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Description
Description
"Was mom crazy like you claimed? Or did your drinking drive her mad? For fifty years I've wondered. Who wrecked our happy home?"
So begins one daughter's search for truth as she turns back time and grills her beloved, but long-dead father.
The time is 1960. The place is Clarendon Hills, Illinois, the idyllic Chicago suburb just one train stop west of Hinsdale. Fairy tale families are beginning to crumble in staggering numbers and most of us still want to know why.Armed with the pure eyes of childhood and the clear eyes of age, Reid braves the past, insisting on answers.
In this intimate examination of the demise of a family, rage, adultery, mental illness, alcohol abuse, divorce, and anorexia all play roles, but don't look for shock value or a sob story. It's all too familiar. It might be your story, too.
The deeper themes of love and loss, betrayal and loyalty, despair and hope, understanding and redemption emerge and entwine as Reid examines the consequences of our choices-those we make and those made for us-and how we manage to live with them.
Memoir, mystery, family saga and coming-of-age tale, One Stop West of Hinsdale is also a period piece. Reid tells her story with some flashbacks and fast-forwards, but it is mostly linear in chronology, all the better to illustrate how the turbulent sixties bled into the peaceful fifties, and how people-like it or not- do change over time: hearts harden, dreams dissolve, minds crack, love leaves. And while Reid's tale speaks with resounding clarity to a certain generation, it will touch the hearts of all who believe that even if love does leave, what we once had is indelible.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"...brutally honest and emotionally raw... The author is ...a skilled storyteller who taps into her childhood self and contextualizes her story within the cultural milieu of '60s-era suburban conformity, counterculture, and antiquated approaches to mental health. A touching and absorbing remembrance of the lasting impact of a difficult upbringing." -Kirkus Reviews
"I absolutely loved this book. I loved the total honesty of the content and I loved the author's style. If I were still wearing my psychology-professor-hat I'd be suggesting it as supplementary reading." -Mona Gustafson Affinito, PhD, Author of When to Forgive: A Personal Guide
"A beautiful, sometimes painful testament of someone who is brave enough to dig deep." -Susan Richards, New York Times bestselling author of Chosen by a Horse
"The pages turn themselves as we plunge headlong into this case of family secrets and lies ... a tale of deep abiding love, rich with the transcendent power of forgiveness." -Lisa Stathoplos, Author of Make Me: A Memoir
"It's a poignant, heartfelt, and sometimes heart-breaking coming-of-age (and wisdom) story, framed as a mystery ... a paean to the human condition, saddled by pain and sadness and loss, but also sanctified by love, hope, and forgiveness. A 'must read.'" -Steve Price, Author of Life in Maine and Other Absurdities
"... the memoir is an earnest attempt to solve a lifelong mystery ... but at its heart, it's a cathartic journey to a place of forgiveness; one that may ultimately inspire others to find the courage to seek their own answers." -Chris Charles, Cowriter of the #1 box office hit The Marksman
"... a clearly-told, courageous, unembellished story ... Her clear, articulate prose... is rich in detail." -Andy Young, Author of Life in 600 Words
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
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