Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for the free review copy. I am a huge fan of memoir, and especially memoir that explore turbulent family relationships, nature and art. Kyo Maclear's memoir is exactly the type of memoir I love to absolutely devour.. The hook of this book seems relatively simple: a woman takes a DNA test to learn more about her beloved father after his passing only to learn he isn't her biological father at all, and takes off on a an emotionally risky quest to unearth the secrets of her family, particular from her mother. But what Kyo Maclear presents is a winding, introspective tome that raises fascinating questions about memory, heritage, and what it means to love and tell stories. I found so many of the anecdotes in this book fascinating and found myself on the edge of my seat to see what would happen or be revealed next. Easily one of the most well-written and engaging memoirs I have read in a while.

“What is grief, if not the act of persisting and reconstituting oneself?”
Ugh, I love a memoir that is full of grief. Grief is what makes us all so human and connected, in my eyes, and it is palpable in this book. This is a deeply intimate memoir about Maclear’s relationship with her parents and a hunt for the truth after a DNA test reveals that the man she knew as her father her whole life, isn’t actually her biological father.
Her relationship with her mother feels stunted —her mother is keeping secrets, doesn’t understand Kyo’s “stories”, and they can’t connect through her mother’s primary language, Japanese— so in order to understand her mother better, Maclear turns to her mother’s love of gardening (of which she knows nothing about herself). I enjoyed a look in to the nuances of their mother-daughter relationship and how Maclear weaves her Japanese roots and lineage in to the story.
At times, the writing style seemed too metaphorical and cryptic which would jolt me out of my reading flow and it took me some time to get connected again. In the end, I still found it captivating, beautiful, and well worth the read.

This is a memoir telling of Maclear's attempts to unearth the true story of her paternity and to connect with her mother. After her father died, Maclear learns from a DNA test that he was not her biological father. Her mother who Kyo doesn't have a close relationship with is reticent about sharing the story of her birth. Maclear persists and tries to reach her mom through a shared interest in gardening. That's the premise of the book. Her mom being Japanese, Maclear divides her book according to Japanese seasons which are more granular than the four seasons we usually think of. Kyo explains, “The Japanese traditionally record the seasons in twenty-four sekki, or “small seasons.” I have borrowed the names of sekki (節気) as section titles to offer a different way of thinking about the ever-changing ground of our stories.” This book is a mixture of a memoir and meditation exploring the nature of marriage, parentage and race. In addition, she thinks about the heredity and true heritage. Each part of the book is separated by the graphics of plants performed by different artists. The text consists of short notes. The book is unusual, it is interesting on many levels and it is visually appealing. Dani Shapiro’s recent memoir is touching similar territory. Fans of her book will like this one as well. People who are interested in plants will also relate well to this book.

What a freakin book...

Although this book is a memoir, it reads like a lyrical fiction story. Kyo Mclear shares her deeply personal journey of learning the truth about her family lineage. After her father passes away, she learns that he is not her biological father and her world is turned upside down. We read through her story as she copes and finds comfort in her life while putting the lost pieces of this puzzle back together, to discover where she comes from and who her biological father is.

Kyo writes about being half Japanese and what its like finding her own sense of self and confidently claiming her beautifully blended cultures, regardless of whether it lives up to others expectations. One of the best parts of this book in my opinion...

The way the themes are woven through this book, down to the title and cover art... absolute perfection. LOVED THIS BOOK! Such a wonderful surprise.

This was an ARC provied by #NetGalley! Thank you so much, what a gift of a book!

Kyo was a difficult character to understand, almost as difficult as her mother, whom she had a unusual relationship with. She tried her best to communicate with her Japanese mother who did not know English well, even while Kyo herself did not know much Japanese. The communication gap was evident and resulted in a remote and distant relationship.

When Kyo discovers the man who raised her is not her biological father, Kyo is unable to get a consistent or clear answer from her mother about this. There are many different stories and assumptions at first, before the truth is slowly and painfully revealed.

I can't understand that a mother would speak to her child in English only when the mother's own knowledge of the language is deficient. That a child would not understand a mother's native tongue, a mother who raised her from birth, didn't ring true to me in the novel. This needed more explanation.

The first half of the book was tentative, as the author seemed to be at a loss as to how to tell the full story. It was only in the second half that the author seemed more confident and the book written in a more fluid style.

The forays into biology and the natural world, while interesting, prolonged the uncertainty and the distress in the memoir, As a reader, I was also distressed by the story made even more drawn out with the inclusion of a too detailed and prolonged nature study of sorts.

I applaud the author for telling such a personal story. However, it leaves me with more questions about her mother. Kyo seems to concentrate more on the importance of her fathers and their history and importance to her life. Her mother remains a strange and contradictory blur that raises a lot of unanswered questions.

I was drawn to the subtitle of this book, but after reading half of it, I am not sure what the point is. The author is sharing her story, but in doing so she is outing many other people, some of whom are deceased and can not consent, others she’s protecting with an initial for a name after explicitly stating she was not going to share. I may return to the second half of this book, if only to see how COVID impacts the story, but for now I am pausing.

Maclear's memoir tenderly approaches the topic of family, and what happens when the veil of childhood wears away, and what's left is a web of half-truths and discomfort. I was deeply moved by the author's turbulent daughter-mother relationship, and how she never stopped trying to find ways to connect with her mother.

In Kyo Maclear’s memoir, we are given a glimpse into an intimate part of her life. To start with, after the death of her father, she discovers that he was her father only by proximity, that in actuality she had another biological father, one she had never met. In a lesser writer’s hands, this could have been a simple book discussing how her mother didn’t tell her the truth, but with Kyo her interests in her mother’s love of gardens, her mother’s life and the uncovering of this new father is delivered like an archeologist piecing together so many overlaying facts.

“Her parents lived a lie, but the lie keeps them together, even when their relationship was over, their devotion was bigger and stood the test of time.” Kyo works with great sensitivity not only about her parents and the new father but talks openly about race, religion and cultural difference, and gets us to see issues from many sides. She is eager to have us learn that even though this is painful, the uncovering of all this information is important to find a part of herself she needs to find.

All in the all the book takes us through the shifting lives of her parents and Kyo gives us insight into her perspective on aging and dying. It is deeply felt and witnessed. Her writing is beautiful and should be cherished. Enjoy the read, and thank you NetGalley

In a world so interconnected, with people constantly on the go.. redefining their looks, their personalities to fit their more fluid lifestyles.. identities and heritage can be difficult to understand.

In Kyo Maclear's memoir: Unearthing, we follow her journey to discovering who she truly is in terms of cultural and heritage-based identity-forming thoughts. Her story is truly moving and can be incredibly cathartic for readers who feel somewhat displaced in their family lives, culturally etc..

About 8 years ago, I learned I had immediate family members I never knew about, and it rocked me to my core for almost a year. Unearthing put into words some of the thoughts that I couldn't fully express and still struggle to this day. We think we know who we are, and all it takes is one 'unearthed' lie/half-truth to unravel our carefully crafted ideas about ourselves. These moments shove us into a whirlwind of questions and searching for what we may not even know? If you're feeling lost, Unearthing is a MUST-read!

**This cover is gorgeous and needs to be framed!! I'm going to grab a copy just to have in my library.

I loved this book!!!! So much here that is compelling--emotionally, intellectually, culturally and all else. I can't wait for this book to be published so I can give it to everyone I know.

Unearthing by Kyo Maclear goes well beyond the many DNA "surprise!" stories that are so popular right now. It's a profound and beautify moving examination of what defines a family and the true meaning of inheritance. I read this book slowly, lingering over many of the passages so that I could absorb them fully. A wonderful gem of a memoir. Highly recommend!!!

Thank you to Scribner for this eARC. This text will be published on August 22, 2023.

Wow. What a text. I was extremely surprised by the lyricality of this memoir. While on its face it is about Kyo Maclear's attempts to decipher the results of a DNA test, it is much more about the nature of memory and forgetting. She seamlessly weaves her knowledge of gardens and gardening with memories of her parents. It is evocative at times of both Mary Oliver, William Wordsworth, and Louise Gluck. Her journey through the seasons echoes the journey Maclear takes to attempt to understand herself.

One of the things that Maclear grapples with is her ability to tell a story, whether that story is "true" or a "memory". Such is the nature of memoirs. She even posits, in the voice of her mother, that "one day I will have a daughter and I will give her an unfinished story and it will be up to her to decide if it is a void or a gift." For readers of this memoir, it is certain that this piece is a gift.

What a beautiful book. I was so excited to read a book about the DNA test that gives you a surprise about where you come from. I’ve read several and this was so unique! The author combined her story of finding out about her birth father and half siblings with the relationship she has with her mom. The love of plants and flowers and caring for each other and them are woven throughout. I loved that touch!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for the purpose of this review. Five stars!