Description
Book SynopsisJudith Paterson was just nine years old in 1946 when her mother died of a virulent combination of alcoholism and mental illness at the age of 31. Sweet Mystery is Paterson's harrowing account of the memories of her mother, told with eloquence and understanding.
Trade ReviewA remarkable work . . . tender, excruciating, compelling." - Harper Lee, author of
To Kill a Mockingbird "A brilliant memoir. . . .
Sweet Mystery has special appeal for readers who have survived difficult childhoods." -
Boston Globe"The author deftly evokes both the atmosphere of the small-town South and the dynamics of a troubled family, making this as engrossing as a good Southern novel." -
Publisher's WeeklyTable of Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Emily and Duke
- Narrow Lane Road
- Wares Ferry
- The Country
- Unborn Baby
- Breaking Down
- A Son Is Born
- A World of Trouble
- Pearl Harbor
- Sheeps and Goats
- Pass the Ammunition
- Two Moves and a Departure
- New York
- Silenced
- Wilmington Road
- The Old Trouble
- Mrs. O'Gwynn's Room
- Back to the Country
- Death
- Life After Death
- Coda
- Afterword
- Suggestions for Further Reading
