Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless
I can relate. No, I didn't have a mother who wore designer clothes, or who got a condo at the Dakota in New York for a $1 as a divorce settlement. She didn't drink all day or lock us in the bathroom. But she could throw some pretty good fits that would leave us scared half out of our minds. And she could say some pretty mean things and play with our heads. All this happened to me in the 1960's and 70's amid Beatles and Elton John, hiphuggers and bellbottoms, the same backdrop as that of Wendy Lawless and her mother in the blue peignoir.
The author captured her mother's jet-setting, booze filled life so perfectly because she lived it right along with her without a choice. We watched Wendy grow up from an innocent child, to a mischievous teenager all without parental guidance and direction. We watched her lose her way as she entered college without much of a plan. And we watched her stand up to her mother's controlling behavior and blossom into strong and beautiful woman.
Chanel Bonfire paints a true picture of mental illness and how it affects the family unit. In Wendy's case "family unit" is a real stretch. How she and her sister were even able to come out of such a childhood alive is a miracle. Yet I understood Wendy's actions and reactions to everything that happened.
This story is real. The setting, the illness, the emotions, all real and true. Ms. Lawless has written a powerful and engaging account of a life overshadowed by an addiction and illness we will never understand.
I can relate. No, I didn't have a mother who wore designer clothes, or who got a condo at the Dakota in New York for a $1 as a divorce settlement. She didn't drink all day or lock us in the bathroom. But she could throw some pretty good fits that would leave us scared half out of our minds. And she could say some pretty mean things and play with our heads. All this happened to me in the 1960's and 70's amid Beatles and Elton John, hiphuggers and bellbottoms, the same backdrop as that of Wendy Lawless and her mother in the blue peignoir.
The author captured her mother's jet-setting, booze filled life so perfectly because she lived it right along with her without a choice. We watched Wendy grow up from an innocent child, to a mischievous teenager all without parental guidance and direction. We watched her lose her way as she entered college without much of a plan. And we watched her stand up to her mother's controlling behavior and blossom into strong and beautiful woman.
Chanel Bonfire paints a true picture of mental illness and how it affects the family unit. In Wendy's case "family unit" is a real stretch. How she and her sister were even able to come out of such a childhood alive is a miracle. Yet I understood Wendy's actions and reactions to everything that happened.
This story is real. The setting, the illness, the emotions, all real and true. Ms. Lawless has written a powerful and engaging account of a life overshadowed by an addiction and illness we will never understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment