If Nights Could Talk: A Family Memoir

by Marsha Recknagel

If Nights Could Talk is a rich gothic story of a Southern family, a tale of wealth and emotional need that spans generations. Marsha Recknagel's memoir begins with the surprise appearance of her 16-year-old nephew, Jamie, who arrives on her doorstep and into her ordered, childless life. Fleeing a chaotic home run by Marsha's unstable younger brother and his wife, Jamie is an ominous creature-and the center of an ongoing family tug-of-war. For Marsha, to open the door is to risk opening herself up to the pain of the past. Reluctantly she takes him in. Thus begins the painful, terrifying, and extraordinary process of unraveling the damage inflicted by her family on one of its own.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Reeds]

movie made from this book "In from the Night" 2006
starring Marcia Gay Harden and Taylor Handley

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly descriptive tour of the lives of a severely dysfunctional family displaying both redeeming and non-redeeming qualities. Parts will probably hit too close to home with most.

Marsha’s ability to tell the story by jumping around the timeline is effective - adding to the frenetic pace set by the lives of those in the story itself. It takes a special writer to skillfully pull this off.

The vivid descriptions of characters and settings put the reader in the room with the story - led by her voice. What a voice. The self-reflective honesty builds the trust necessary to understand the path for trying to save Jamie.

The author should also be congratulated for the courage to share her look in the mirror by putting it out there in writing for the whole world to see. As she keenly points out “Writing was permanent. Like teeth.”

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Surely it is illegal to mentally torment a child so? Amazing how she captures so much family history into such a moving family memoir.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. An honest, moving, frustrating, wonderful memoir.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read about a messed up family.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Also pretty cool that a lot of it takes place in my own hometown.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy family.