Review by Gargoylegarden -- In Hindsight

[Mary Lou Mills]

[Following is a volunteer review of "In Hindsight" by Sharon Bonanno and Lisa Scott.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Hindsight: The Story of How Two Sisters Hurt, Hindered, and Healed Each Other by Sharon Bonanno & Lisa Scott is an autobiography of the life of an addict and how her illness affected those around her. Lisa suffered from juvenile diabetes. Of course, that means she will always have to deal with her diabetes. Whenever things did not go well for her, her family would blame it on her diabetes. She got tired of tracking all the food that she ate, so she would just make things up. Understandably, there were many trips to the emergency room for erratic blood sugar. Their mother was a salesperson for a candy company. She kept a lot of candy hidden in her car. Yes, Lisa stole candy from her mother’s car. She is already creating a habit of lying and stealing.

Lisa and Sharon lived with their mother and visited their estranged father at his home with his new family every other weekend. They did not feel welcome there. He did not spend time with them when they visited. His focus was on his new family. Their stepmother was jealous of any attention given to them. Sharon felt responsible for Lisa as she knew that nobody else there would notice if anything was wrong with her. Their father paid no attention to them. When they were with their mother, all their mother’s attention was geared toward Lisa. They continued going to their father’s every other weekend and staying in the basement. Their father was a wine salesman. One of the perks was free samples. He kept them in the laundry room. Lisa drank the wine. Lisa’s deviant behavior eventually led her down the path to cocaine addiction.

After years of looking out for Lisa and being lied to consistently, Sharon became tired of the responsibility. Finally, Sharon and her mother confronted Lisa. The rest of the book follows the family through the starts and stops of dysfunction, addiction, and enabling.

What I like about this book is that it faces reality. It also encourages people to keep trying. It shows how important a support system is for a recovering addict. Places where you can get help and emergency numbers are offered. Lisa’s insurance covered only a few days of treatment, so the treatment center sent her to Florida where her insurance would cover for months. If you fail the first time, try again. You are worth it.

I also like how the story goes back and forth between the perspective of each sister. As difficult as it was for Lisa to be an addict, it was equally difficult for Sharon to always worry about her and not be able to trust her. The addiction was bad enough, but Lisa also did not take care of her diabetes and had diabetic seizures.

What I found difficult about this book is the way that the sisters were made to feel unwanted in their father’s new life. There were no pictures of them at his house. They visited regularly, yet there was no place for them. They slept on a pullout sofa in a communal room. During the day there was no sign that they were there. They were not treated like family.

I recommend this book to mature audiences. If you or a family member have a problem with addiction, you will benefit from reading this book. There are difficult situations, but they are necessary. Love and family support are key elements to recovery. Even someone with a long history of use can conquer their demons and live a good life. These sisters discover how much they need each other and want to be a part of each other’s lives. As the sisters discovered, some things you can only understand In Hindsight.

The original family was Jewish. When the father remarried, he converted from Judaism to Christianity. There are references to holidays for both religions. The details of the two religions are not a major part of the book. There was acceptance within the family in respect to each other’s religion. However, this could be a problem for some readers.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars as it appears to be professionally edited. I found only one grammatical error. After starting the book with a crucial scene, the sisters went on to explain the details leading up to that scene and the aftermath. They explained the details in a way that I could relate to what was happening. I felt empathy for both sisters. I enjoyed reading this book.

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In Hindsight
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[Marcel Cantu]

I read this book recently and I thought it was such a lovely and important story. I enjoyed reading your review, thank you for the great work!

[Mary Lou Mills]

I read this book recently and I thought it was such a lovely and important story. I enjoyed reading your review, thank you for the great work!

I agree with you about the importance. Maybe it will be just the help somebody needs. Thank you for your kind words.