Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Beautifully written story of a mother caring for her mentally ill son, who at 19, develops psychosis. Zach lives a normal life until one day he feels people are watching him. At that point, his life unravels. His devoted mother does all she can for him while giving him the support he needs to manage his own life.

They live partly in the US and partly in the UK, so navigating the health systems differed greatly. Tanya clearly loves her son but cannot hold his hand for the rest of his life. So, as difficult as it was, she had to let him figure things out on his own. This book was really well-written, and I was captivated by their story. Excellent book.

There is so much with which I identify in this book--psychological shifts and families in crisis. While the content was present and engaging, the writing did not always rise up to the level I admire.

This memoir is about the author’s adult son’s descent into mental illness, and the lack of social services to help the mentally ill, both in the US and the UK. This book really had me thinking about what we owe to our adult children and to ourselves. THe author was very honest about her inability to help her son and her need to pursue happiness in her own life, through her relationship with her wife. Admitting that takes guts, which the author has. I am not sure why she ultimately decided to leave her son in the UK, especially when the father seemed so checked-out and uninvolved in his son’s life. Perhaps that is what her son wanted. I wonder about her son and how he is now doing.

This book absolutely broke my heart. It truly opens the readers eyes to see how much a mother would do for her child(ren). Tanya stood by Zach, advocated for him and never stopped supporting him along his journey. I loved how she loved the seals. After having to process what’s happening to your child in front of your eyes, it’s so necessary to have some what of an outlet or a love for something like Tanya loves seals. Definitely a great read!

Tanya Frank writes honestly about her son’s Zach descent into and ongoing struggle with psychosis in this searing volume. Just nineteen when he begins to be gripped with paranoid thoughts, Zach, is changed forever. Frank grapples with a gamut of emotions, from mourning and bitterness to resignation and a determination to fight for the best care for him if she can’t make him the way he was. She learns how difficult the medical and mental health care systems are to navigate and eventually relocates to her original home in England, hoping the UK health system will be better. Unfortunately, the pandemic wreaks havoc with any progress they make. Frank’s account may help family members who are also dealing with a relative’s similar diagnosis.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A heartbreaking and difficult read about the author’s son’s struggle with mental health. It was hard for me to get through not only because of the upsetting content but also because the author’s writing style just was not for me. My rating does not reflect her amazing story and perseverance, but my own personal preference for writing style.

What we think we know can be lost in a second. What we love can never be lost. Such is the story of a talented young man who experiences a psychotic break and the love of his mother. Facing a son she doesn't know anymore and a medical system that doesn't appear to offer much hope and even less help, Tanya Frank discovers she is what stands between her son and his increasing illness.

When she wakes to find her 19 years old son experiencing a psychotic break, she is plunged into the unknown. As he lapses deeper into his new world, she fights to hang onto the promising and talented young man her son used to be. The education she receives from the medical system is at times frightening and without hope, which pushes her harder to find help for Zach.

A devastating close look at mental illness and a mother's love. A wrenching account of what a mother will do to take care of her son throughout his life--as the reader we feel the narrator's pain and striving and ultimately her hope.