Memoirs that detail the struggles of mental illness and addiction are becoming more commonplace on bookshelves as the stigma surrounding these topics wanes in the public eye – and rightly so. It is only through the sharing of these stories and struggles that readers who have not faced these challenges personally can begin to relate, empathize, and become part of the community fighting for systemic changes that will better serve those who struggle. In her important and beautiful memoir THE SECOND CHILD, Regina Toffolo skillfully shares her life stories of heartbreak and hope with readers, much like she were having a conversation with a dear friend. The prose is accessible and captivating, weaving stories that not just engage the reader but has them invested in the complicated paths that life places before her. Moreover, this work highlights the ways in which the struggles of addiction and mental illness carry through genetic lines and across generations.

Readers will appreciate the unabashed truth – as gut-wrenching as it can be at times – and the ways in which Toffolo boldly shares her personal history as a means to educate, inform, and be a source of comfort for those who are experiencing or have experienced similar challenges in their lives. Toffolo’s writing is gentle and captivating, encouraging readers to press on to see what happens next in what can at times feel like an impossibly challenging life story. It is impossible to walk away from reading this book without feeling encouraged and hopeful, and more aware of and sensitive to the unspoken challenges and struggles that everyone is battling below the surface. In the preface to the work Toffolo writes that she hopes that she is able to help at least one person who chooses to read this book, who can relate to her experiences of living with a narcissistic parent, being a victim of incest, an addict, of having an abusive spouse, or of living with mental illness. It is hard to imagine that there would be a person who isn’t helped, encouraged, or more educated in learning about the challenges and triumphs that Toffolo has faced throughout her life.

THE SECOND CHILD is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of the ways in which mental illness and addiction can shape a family through generations. Author Regina Toffolo skillfully carries readers along–not as spectators but as companions–educating through her personal experiences of past trauma and hope for the future.

~Sarah Baer for IndieReader