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    History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life
    History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life
    History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life
    Ebook284 pages4 hours

    History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life

    By Jill Bialosky

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    “It is so nice to be happy. It always gives me a good feeling to see other people happy. . . . It is so easy to achieve.” —Kim’s journal entry, May 3, 1988

    On the night of April 15, 1990, Jill Bialosky’s twenty-one-year-old sister Kim came home from a bar in downtown Cleveland. She argued with her boyfriend on the phone. Then she took her mother’s car keys, went into the garage, closed the garage door. She climbed into the car, turned on the ignition, and fell asleep. Her body was found the next morning by the neighborhood boy her mother hired to cut the grass.

    Those are the simple facts, but the act of suicide is anything but simple. For twenty years, Bialosky has lived with the grief, guilt, questions, and confusion unleashed by Kim’s suicide. Now, in a remarkable work of literary nonfiction, she re-creates with unsparing honesty her sister’s inner life, the events and emotions that led her to take her life on this particular night. In doing so, she opens a window on the nature of suicide itself, our own reactions and responses to it—especially the impact a suicide has on those who remain behind.

    Combining Kim’s diaries with family history and memoir, drawing on the works of doctors and psychologists as well as writers from Melville and Dickinson to Sylvia Plath and Wallace Stevens, Bialosky gives us a stunning exploration of human fragility and strength. She juxtaposes the story of Kim’s death with the challenges of becoming a mother and her own exuberant experience of raising a son. This is a book that explores all aspects of our familial relationships—between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters—but particularly the tender and enduring bonds between sisters.

    History of a Suicide brings a crucial and all too rarely discussed subject out of the shadows, and in doing so gives readers the courage to face their own losses, no matter what those may be. This searing and compassionate work reminds us of the preciousness of life and of the ways in which those we love are inextricably bound to us.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateFeb 15, 2011
    ISBN9781439134740
    History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life
    Author

    Jill Bialosky

    Jill Bialosky is the author of four acclaimed collections of poetry. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among others. She is the author of several books, including History of a Suicide, Asylum, and Poetry Will Save Your Life. In 2015, Jill was honored by the Poetry Society of America for her distinguished contribution to the field of poetry. She lives in New York City. Find out more at JillBialosky.com. 

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    Reviews for History of a Suicide

    3.5/5

    66 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Book Title: "History of a Suicide”Author: Jill BialoskyPublished By: AtriaAge Recommended: 18+Reviewed By: Kitty BullardRaven Rating: 5Review: Jill Bialosky takes us on a deeply emotional journey through the life she feels her sister must have lived before ending it. At some points this novel is very hard to read as it delves deeply into the emotions of a young woman hurting so bad and not knowing how to ask or who to turn to for help.This novel is one that will give you a closer look into the mind of a manically depressed woman and brings you to the realization of how they could perceive suicide as an escape. Be prepared to get out the tissues, you’re going to need them.
    • 2/5
      I agree with hazel66. I am also torn about this personal story. However, I found it very hard to engage in the redundancy of her questions and disbelief from the beginning to where I left off. Perhaps I could have given it more of a chance but, again, I didn't find it engaging.
    • 4/5
      It was very well-written, a nice balance between academic studies and literature. Obviously it is difficult subject matter and deeply personal but the author did a good job of letting us in and showing us her grief without overwhelming us.
    • 4/5
      Reading this book hit hard on all my emotions. There were times I was moved to tears, I was bored, I was angry, I was heartbroken, I was speechless. Most often, I was frustrated - because this could have been a great book, and it is not.Jill Bialosky often describes her sister, Kim, as a phantom after her suicide. So, too, is Kim a phantom for readers.I never felt I really came to know Kim, though I very much wanted to. I had pieces: she did drugs, she killed herself, she had a difficult relationship with her father and she loved stuffed animals. But I so wanted a picture - both physically (there are no photos in this book) and emotionally. I wanted to hear from people who knew her other than the author. I wanted to imagine her life, her favorite places and her school days and her passions. I wanted to care very much about her as an individual - but I never really got to know her. What I did not want, and what permeated the book, was the author's poems, stories about her son and poems by Sylvia Plath. I imagine this helped Bialosky work through her grief, but they are not part of her relationship with her reading audience - they tell us nothing about Jill or Kim, the main characters here, and just drag down the book.It is a sad book because it is about suicide and despair. But that's a given. How much more extraordinary it would have been if the author had let readers come to know Kim, and see her, and care about her ourselves.
    • 3/5
      I'm torn. I don't want to criticize the author for such a personal and sad story. At times, I found it to be unbearably self-punishing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone trying to recover from a loved ones suicide. There are some questions that cannot be answered and it is heartbreaking to "witness" someone on a search for those unanswered questions.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Book Title: "History of a Suicide”Author: Jill BialoskyPublished By: AtriaAge Recommended: 18+Reviewed By: Kitty BullardRaven Rating: 5Review: Jill Bialosky takes us on a deeply emotional journey through the life she feels her sister must have lived before ending it. At some points this novel is very hard to read as it delves deeply into the emotions of a young woman hurting so bad and not knowing how to ask or who to turn to for help.This novel is one that will give you a closer look into the mind of a manically depressed woman and brings you to the realization of how they could perceive suicide as an escape. Be prepared to get out the tissues, you’re going to need them.
    • 3/5
      This is a true story and based on the research and diary journals the author, Jill Bialosky, has compiled together. In doing this, she hopes to have a better understanding to the events that led to the suicide of her younger sister, Kim. Most of all, it is an opportunity to bring closure from her sister’s death that was not only untimely, but unexpected. This story weaves diary entries, along with police records, interviews of family and friends, and Jill’s personal recollections of her sister’s life.This book is by no means a “how to” book, rather it sheds light into the impact suicide has to survivor’s. The series of losses both sisters experience is tragic and shows how differently they both coped. Not minimizing Kim’s life story, Jill Bialosky shares her own struggles and bouts of depression. This also is a way for Jill to not only honor her sister through telling her story, but it also shows that despite the finality of death, the soul and spirit live.It is a book I would recommend to those working with suicidal clients and families, as well as those affected by suicide. This is also a great book for those who love memoirs. While this book does deal with serious subject mater, there are moments where both sisters experienced some great memories.
    • 4/5
      This memoir contains the author's reflections on her much-younger sister Kim's 1990 suicide. It's a sad book, in large part because no answers are readily available to the surviving sibling. The author quotes classic American literature (including Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy" in its entirety) in an attempt to relate her sister's issues to a larger context, but unfortunately, the specifics the author seeks (why did Kim do it?) elude her.
    • 4/5
      History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky explores the aftermath after Bialosky's youngest sister Kim commits suicide. Instantly engaging and so approachable that the reader is tangibly inducted into Bialosky's family's grief and loss. Not an easy read, this memoir also includes some of Kim's own letters in order to better illustrate her struggle. Bialosky asserts early on in her story that she wanted to write about Kim for two reasons: to redeem and honor her. Through this book she succeeds on both counts. This book is also sure to enlighten readers about suicide and hopefully open dialogue on a dangerously taboo topic.

    Book preview

    History of a Suicide - Jill Bialosky

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