Based on real events from the life and family history of the bestselling author of “Away From Here: A Young Adult Novel”, comes a semi-autobiographical story of three generations of family, and the bond forged in the struggle to break the grip of mental illness.Synopsis:“The bullet let loose on July 22nd, 1939, destroyed a house full of children who went to sleep normal, but awoke forever … awoke forever deformed. The bullet ricocheted, lodging itself so deep inside each of them that none realized they’d been hit until years later. There were no survivors that day, even though there were many.”
So begins the latest work from bestselling novelist Nathan Dunbar, as he chronicles the dark secret that forever altered the trajectory of his family. As he struggles to complete that book, he realizes that another story begs to be written—the story of his own teenaged years, a time he spent asking questions about the origin of his parent’s mental illnesses, and forging a bond with the best friends he’s ever know.
As he writes memories flood back—of summer days spent playing basketball, of surviving his household with his twin sister, Clover, and the way he felt when Serafina moved in to the neighborhood. That summer he experienced something he only told her, something he’s never allowed himself to express until now, and when he does it will force a confrontation between the future he wants and the past he struggles to reconcile with.
Welcome to the Sick Parents Club.
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I am speechless. Such an amazing story. Christopher Harlan’s written word on anxiety, depression or victims of victims is beautifully put together. You feel and understand the struggle and hope for change. You never truly know what goes on behind closed doors. A smile can mask so much. We all have our secrets. It’s the strength in which we handle them that makes us who we are. This story and its message makes me want to stand up and thank all the women in my family for their strength. On a lighter note, The analogies to pop culture are just to simply put it—awesome.
Wow! What a beautiful thought provoking read. Christopher’s recent book The Sick Parent’s Club pushes the boundaries and enables the reader to step foot in the mind of Nathan Dunbar, as he tries to understand his family’s history and how it influences his upbringing and his current situation now that he is starting a family of his own. He does this by writing both in past and present tenses as he examines how certain key moments have affected him and those closest to him. This story grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go till the last page. Here’s to another great story from Christopher Harlan! A definite must read!
What a strong and powerful book. While reading this book it made me really look at not only myself but the women that came before me. Like you I appreciate and am proud of my lineage. Tho most of us may not coming from a perfect past we learn and make changes as necessary. I’m pretty sure most of us have a past that is not spoken, yet here you are bringing it to paper and opening up that conversation. Thank you Christopher for taking that leap of faith.
The Sick Parents Club
By Christopher Harlan
This is my 5 star review…
This book touched me deep down to my core.
Definitely a top pick for me.
Have you ever wondered what makes you, well you?
This book got me thinking about my own self and the twists and turns of my own life.
Excellent read!
Highly recommend
Can one tragic event affect future generations of a family? This story is so thought provoking and will make you wonder about your own family story. This book shows how 4 generations of a family dealt with this issue and continue to do so. This story had me captivated from beginning to end. Christopher done an amazing job. The flow of the book was so good. I couldn’t put it down. I keep going back to the question I asked at the beginning Can one tragic event affect future generations. I think Christopher did an amazing job of answering this question. Definitely worth more than 5 stars. And definitely makes you think about how I will handle things from now on!
Another great story written by Christopher Harlan. The story and characters are written very well. A very emotional story that will draw you in. I definetly recommend it!!!
What a masterpiece!! Christopher Harlan has a written deeply personal, powerful and thought provoking story that made me reflect on my own life and how it has shaped me.
“The Sick Parents Club” is sometimes heartbreaking but also hopeful and it was an important story to tell. As I was reading about Nate and his family, I began thinking about my own Mother who is strong and does everything for her family. We are the lucky ones because she is always there for us. Nate’s Mother was always there for him too, even when she was too sick to leave her bedroom. He could still sit with her and hold her hand which gave strength to both of them. Even if she didn’t feel like talking to Nate, a gentle squeezing of her hand was worth a thousand words.
Nate had his close friends to fill in when his family was unable to comfort him. Even though they came from less than desirable family situations, they had each other to confide in. Nate never let the sins of his great-grandfather seep into his mind and take over his life. He realized it was a part of his past that would never go away and he chose to be stronger than it and rose above the horror of what happened. Despite having a mother that was oftentimes lost in her thoughts and uncommunicative, Nate was able to get by with his sister and best friends by his side. Mental illness may have been prevalent in their family but Nate and his sister Clover didn’t allow it to shape their future. The love that Nate had for his mother gave him the strength and courage to write about the tragedy that had haunted his family for years. It made him understand that he was stronger than the men who came before him and that he deserved a life full of love and happiness.