House of Happy Endings: A Memoir by Leslie Garis, 352 pages.
This memoir is less personal than ones I'm used to reading (or what has become popular I suppose), but was still an interesting look at three generations of a literary family and their struggles with mental illness.
Leslie Garis is the grandchild of authors:The Uncle Wiggily stories, The Bobbsey Twins, and Tom Swift (to name a few). Despite their prolific work, the grandparents were part of the writing syndicate (Stratemeyer) that included Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. As a result, they didn't get to share in the profits from their efforts, and their son (Leslie's father) was continually frustrated trying to get his work published or noticed. Besides the rejection that comes with writing, he is mentally and emotionally weak. This story is about their shared history -her mother's strength at holding the family together and her father's heartbreaking and misunderstood depression.
It tends to be a bit long in places. Or it seems long because the subject matter is pretty grim. Either way, it is a good book, not a great one. Definitely eye opening when it comes to the early treatment of mental illness. It did make me want to read the Tom Swift adventure stories and some Uncle Wiggily too. 3.5 stars
Comments