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.
more
Wow. As much as I love Christopher Harlan’s romantic works, I just find my mind and heart consistently blown by his more true-to-life/semi-autobiographical novels and this one is only an exception in that he has surpassed even himself and Away From Here (my favourite Christopher Harlan story) with Sick Parents Club.
Damn, this was a tough book to get through, even for someone like me who has not lived the life of the characters/people in the book. I can only imagine, though I am sure, not fully. That is not to say that I regret reading this story. Nothing could be further from the truth. I feel richer, better for having had even this relatively small experience of it. I can’t promise that everyone’s experience will mirror mine but I can promise that you won’t regret reading this book.
Wow! This book!
Let me preface with this; I didn’t NOT love it but i didn’t love it as much I expected I would. When I started reading it I felt like I wasn’t issued the bouncing ball to follow along with, as I got into it I was able to flow with the story much easier. Coming from a background of a family of bi-polar, schizophrenia, depression, mental and sexual abuse, with a husband/wife murder in the past; I expected to be able to understand and follow this story without issue. It took a bit of book before that happened for me.
So, with all that being said, I liked the book. The way the author shows you how the main family is impacted by events of the past, how they recognize the damage and see how it could take them down the same roads. I enjoyed reading about how the brother/sister each developed and dealt with it to come out the other side the way they did. It left me wanting to know more about the true aspect of the story (which happens with most true event books I read)
SPOILER: if the two characters didn’t end up together I would have been so angry with the whole story 🙂 I was very glad to hear it ended as a happily through it all ending.
I really enjoyed reading this book.. It is very different from his other books which I am ok with.. Which I am speechless.. I think everyone should read this book.. It touched me for the very moment I read it..
No spoilers of any kind included!
The Sick Parents Club was awesome!
But then again just about every book that I’ve read that was written by Christopher Harlan has been awesome!
He just has a way of hooking his readers and taking them on a wild ride with the stories that he writes and then leave them needing and wanting more.
So it’s going to be yes I most definitely do recommend this book because I loved it and I think you will too!
This is such a beautifully written emotional story; It’s powerful and thought provoking. It deals with depression, anxiety, pain, and really makes you think of how your family history can shape who you are.
I was so drawn in and it’s really stuck with me since i’ve finished. I can’t praise it enough
This book was one of those books that will stick with me long after I have read it. it is the story of Nate and Clover, twin brother and sister, and how the grew up. It speaks of the history of their family and how that history shaped their family and how they grew up as kids and how the did or did not want to live their lives as adults. They grew up in a small neighborhood with kids from families who each had their own version of “sick parents” whether it was neglect, abuse, not being in their life any more, etc. It spoke about how Nate could see what happened to his great grandmother and how that shaped his grandmother’s life, and in turn his mother’s life, and then his own. I enjoyed reading about the other characters as well, Serafina, Carmine, and Damien. This was very different than Christopher Harlan’s other books but I would definitely recommend this book.
The sick parents club! This is a story many generations in the making and told by Nathan.
He retells his family’s story by writing it and going over it with his twin sister Clover to make sure anything he writes will be ok with her.
Their Great Grandmother was shot and killed by their Great Grandfather and the ricochet of that bullet went through all the generations in a way that everyone had a “ sick parent “ to live with and try to survive.
This story was full of sad, sweet and funny moments and I appreciate how in all of the sickness. The strength of this family to overcome the sins of the past.
I definitely recommend this book!
emotional raw haunting amazing different kind of story.Ready for more
This is something like I’ve not read in quite some time. It’s one of those stories that really make you think. Some of the old sayings come to mind, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, sh*t rolls downhill, sins of the father… just to say a few. But they’re legit questions when you reflect on what you’ve just read.
The story is thought provoking, emotional, harsh, real. An eye-opening tale about not just the different social/family issues that are discussed, but the lasting effects on those that weren’t around, or were more in the periphery. The next generation, the generation after that, and hoping that there is an end and wondering who is brave enough to face it head on.
I really liked this story, it was interesting to me that it was semi-autobiographical, I think we all like to think we know our favorite authors, and then there’s something like this that just blows your mind and makes you respect them just a little bit more.
The Sick Parents Club is a story about what mental illness can do to a family, even generations later, that many can relate to. It is so well written and relatable that you feel you are a part of it.
The Sick Parents Club was an amazing story. Nathan tells the story about growing up in a not so perfect family. He looks back into past events from his grandparents & how something that happened so many years ago can still have an effect on life today. Christopher Harlan also shows that just because someone feels weak they can still be really strong. Life is full of strange events & it’s up to the future generation how they deal with it. This was an amazing story & it makes you think about life & what you want the outcome to be.
I knew this book would be different. I felt so many different emotions while reading this. It definitely makes you realize that no one has a perfect family, and that it is the culmination of all the little things that make us who we are….seen and unseen; spoken and unspoken. It made me think a lot about my own childhood, and my sick parent – my dad, who has been gone for 6 years now.
Thank you for a special book Christopher!
Whilst I own several of Christopher Harlan’s books, I just haven’t got round to reading them due to how busy my life is, but there was something about the blurb of The Sick Parents Club that told me I had to find the time to read it. I’m always on the lookout for stories that make you stop and think, and wow this book does just that. Christopher Harlan has created a powerful story that takes readers on a journey and leaves them with some important messages that will have them looking over their own family stories.
The Sick Parents Club is partly based on true events and shows how past events can impact on the future. It shows that whilst an event takes place many years ago, the after effects can ripple down the generations and also have consequences on their lives. I loved how this book jumped back and forth as, in my opinion, this gives the reader a better understanding of the story and the consequences suffered by not only Nathan, but also his twin sister who deals with things differently. We also learn about their friends and how their own families have their own battles to face. For me, I feel like writing his family’s story was Nathan’s way of fully breaking the cycle and allowing himself to move on from the demons that had stopped previous generations. I guess you could say he found his own form therapy.
I was able to relate with parts of this 5 star read due to my own battle with depression and anxiety. I’m thankfully ‘out the other side’, but it took years of hard work and professional help to get to where I am now. I’ve said for a long time that some of my problems were connected to not only my parents, but also my grandparents, and that I needed to break the cycles they created. I can also see these cycles being continued by other family members who sadly haven’t realised it themselves. As a parent, I’m determined that the cycles end with me and my son’s life will be different to what I experienced growing up.
I believe this story will touch so many readers lives, and this is definitely a book everyone needs to pick up and read. Mental health is something that should be spoken about and I’m so glad that this author isn’t afraid to face such a difficult topic head on. My only hope is that readers take away the lessons they learn from this book and put them to good use. A victim doesn’t have to remain a victim. Life long cycles can be broken. Everyone deals with things differently, but no one way is the right way. I could go on about what I’m taking away from this amazing book, but I want you to read it yourself and take away your own lessons as each person’s experience will be different. I just know that you HAVE to read this book!
Christopher Harlan has outdone himself! The Sick Parents Club is thoughtful and powerful. It makes you examine your own life as you read it. It is full of emotion and great storytelling. Every page makes you eager to turn to the next one.
It’s very rare that you find a book that actually makes you reflect on yourself and your own life. A book that makes you think about your own past and wonder how it has shaped you.
Are there things that are actually passed down throughout the generations, or are we taught them by the way we are raised? Are certain behaviors and actions inherited, or are they learned? These are the kinds of questions that reading this book brought to my mind.
This usually really isn’t my kind of genre. It was written almost like an autobiography. The main character, Nate, is an author and he had decided to write a book about his past, his family history, so the story read like an autobiography. Usually I can’t get into those, but, in typical Harlan fashion, I was hooked from the very first sentence. I honestly did not want to put this book down, but I knew if I didn’t, things would go undone around the house.
This book was a story about a path to self-discovery. A story about how one incident, generations ago, had paved the path for generations to come. How someone would build up enough courage to step off the path and create a new and better one for themselves and their own children. The past does not have to define who you are today. Your future is what you make of it. Learn from the past, grieve for the victims, but don’t let it define you.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I totally would. It deserves it. It was an absolutely incredible, thought provoking journey that I enjoyed every second of.
5 out of 5 stars!
This book captivated me from the opening pages. Although, this book is a departure from the authors usual style it should be on every ‘to be read’ list. Highly recommended book.
This was my first Christopher Harlan book. I own others but haven’t read those yet. I wanted to read something serious and not romance at all. I started this book this morning and read non stop even as my sister drove us a couple counties over lol! I don’t drive so I read as she drove.
At times the content was tough to read due to the story but I kept pushing on. But at the same time I had to know where this was going.
This book was so raw and emotional. It drew me in quick.
This line jumped out at me.
“The box was my family—odd and irrational in its existence, a keeper of secrets. The greatest gift I’ve ever been given.”
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s relatable in many ways especially when talking about depression. Some people are uncomfortable talking about mental health issues, and I used to be. But I’ve realized that the more i can discuss my own struggle with it, other people come around to talk about it too!I
Excellent book. Amazing characters and storyline.
Nothing like you have ever read from Christopher. It highlights mental health and how it truly affects a whole family.
Wow , first impression was this was a great story. However, it was so much more than that. As the narrator of the story, Nathan Dunbar goes back in time to relive his childhood as he remembers it and ends up having a profound revelation by the end. Nate understood all too well that “our past informs our future.” What may have began as a nightmare of an event in his family history has caused Nate to “reclaim the narrative” and forge a new family reality for future generations. Survival isn’t always a choice and the women in Nathan’s family, including his BFF, were definitely survivors, as well as victims of truly bad men. No matter the good, bad or ugly in between that innate sense of strength was passed down to him and his twin sister. He intended to make sure that his baby girl would learn the stories, but also start a new chapter b/c the mold broke with him and “The Sick Parents Club” was no longer accepting new members. Definitely give this book a chance. I do not think you will be able to finish without perhaps even thinking of some strong women you might know on your own family tree.