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Uncle:The Dark Family Secret
Alternate-cover edition can be found here
"Uncle" is a gripping account of Crickette's childhood growing up with an alcoholic paranoid schizophrenic manifesting in the bedroom next door. Estranged from her parents and sent to live with her grandparents as a child, Crickette grew up in constant fear of the illness that was slowly tightening its grip on her reality. In her first novelette, "Uncle", Crickette weaves a series of traumatic encounters with schizophrenia as seen through the eyes of a child growing into a resourceful, resilient yet traumatized adult. It all comes to a head in this enticing personal memoir one fateful holiday weekend; an honest, unadulterated look behind the curtain of schizophrenia. It is a tale of survival.
"Uncle" is a gripping account of Crickette's childhood growing up with an alcoholic paranoid schizophrenic manifesting in the bedroom next door. Estranged from her parents and sent to live with her grandparents as a child, Crickette grew up in constant fear of the illness that was slowly tightening its grip on her reality. In her first novelette, "Uncle", Crickette weaves a series of traumatic encounters with schizophrenia as seen through the eyes of a child growing into a resourceful, resilient yet traumatized adult. It all comes to a head in this enticing personal memoir one fateful holiday weekend; an honest, unadulterated look behind the curtain of schizophrenia. It is a tale of survival.
39 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2016
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December 8, 2016
The short story “Uncle: The Dark Family Secret” by Crickette Gill was an eye-opening account on what it is like living with someone who is a paranoid schizophrenic as well as an alcoholic. Crickette spent her childhood fearing that she might be the next target of her schizophrenic uncle’s rage. This story is her memory of the traumatic experience her uncle put her through on the last night he ever spent in the same house as her.
I have known people who have schizophrenia but I never knew what they could put their family through. Crickette shows just a sliver of what she experienced living with her uncle in “Uncle: The Dark Family Secret”. Crickette’s uncle was an alcoholic schizophrenic who constantly abused her grandmother. Crickette herself was also a victim of her uncle’s anger at times. Her grandfather was the only one that had some sort of control over her uncle, but even that did not last. Crickette’s experiences with her uncle’s behavior started when she was a child and ended when she had her own child. I understood why her grandmother did not want to put her uncle away, but at the same time I felt that her grandmother should have done more to shield Crickette from her uncle.
I am glad that Crickette wrote about what she experienced. This can help others that go through the same thing. It may also encourage people to get help for their loved ones that have schizophrenia. I enjoyed reading this story and am glad that Crickette has finally found some peace in her life.
*I reviewed this book for Readers' Favorite
I have known people who have schizophrenia but I never knew what they could put their family through. Crickette shows just a sliver of what she experienced living with her uncle in “Uncle: The Dark Family Secret”. Crickette’s uncle was an alcoholic schizophrenic who constantly abused her grandmother. Crickette herself was also a victim of her uncle’s anger at times. Her grandfather was the only one that had some sort of control over her uncle, but even that did not last. Crickette’s experiences with her uncle’s behavior started when she was a child and ended when she had her own child. I understood why her grandmother did not want to put her uncle away, but at the same time I felt that her grandmother should have done more to shield Crickette from her uncle.
I am glad that Crickette wrote about what she experienced. This can help others that go through the same thing. It may also encourage people to get help for their loved ones that have schizophrenia. I enjoyed reading this story and am glad that Crickette has finally found some peace in her life.
*I reviewed this book for Readers' Favorite
Displaying 1 of 1 review