I’m a big fan of well written memoirs, and I love learning more about the insidious underbelly of mental illness, so The Memory Palace was an extremely enjoyable read for me.
Using the beautiful metaphor of a literal mental memory palace, author Mira Bartok constructs a story of her life with and without her enigmatic mother Norma. A gifted pianist who develops schizophrenia and eventually ends up homeless, Norma is a victim of both her neurobiology and the circumstances of her life and times. And Mira and her older sister are inadvertent victims of their mother’s debilitating illness.
This is a story of raw honesty, of a devastated family, of courage, and ultimately, of the resilience of people and of love. Well written and highly addictive, this is a book that will both teach and move you.
Rating- 8/10
