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Book of Rachel is a close to home story of a parent
coping with her child's drug addiction. Although fiction,
it is obviously based on experience because Ms Goldbloom
walks known territory. Fictionalised autobiography is
an effective protection device for the people involved.
Set in contemporary Melbourne with its beginnings
in the 1950s and moving through the 60s, 70s and 80s
to modern times, it could be the story of anyone living
in the modern world.
We are all flawed individuals but when one's child
becomes addicted to drugs, one is inclined to dwell
on one's perceived flaws. We blame ourselves: where
did we go wrong? rightly or wrongly. And some of us
become obsessed by our sense of failure and over-compensate,
especially towards the addicted loved one. This is
precisely what The Book of Rachel is about.
I found I could relate to so much of Rachel's story.
Some things she describes I had a feeling of: "Oh
my God, so someone else feels like that." There
is a kinship, a bonding in knowing that one may be
slightly loopy in coping with family addiction but
that loopiness is not unique; and other, quite rational
people display loopiness given the same circumstances.
A reassuring book to read, even if at times, painfully
pointing the finger. The story emphasises the need
for a support network; for someone to turn to when
one feels overwhelmed by events; and the need to have
something to channel energy into as a diversion.
Ms Goldbloom's style is not fancy or tricky. This
is straightforward experience talking. And it leaves
the reader with a sense of hope, a pragmatic acceptance
leading to renewal of a life for the parent herself.
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