Antonia Deignan

Underwater Daughter by Antonia Deignan

Sublimely subtitled “a memoir of survival and healing,” this book is a moving meditation on childhood abuse and the effects and influences of early trauma. After a devastating accident forced Deignan to lie still and reflect on her past, she turned to writing as a means of therapy and release. She recalls her children, her marriages, her career as a dancer, struggles with eating disorders and substance abuse, and reaches back into cheerless childhood memories of her father’s sexual violations and her mother’s refusal to stop or acknowledge it. The journey is not linear, but rather one comprised of snapshots, fleeting windows peering into singular moments of impact. Her world is a darkly painted reverie, held together by images of the sea. It is difficult to say what makes a book feel important, exactly, but Deignan’s words cry out to be heard, her prose blazing across the pages. When the writing becomes repetitive or fragmented, it reads as honest, a stream-of-consciousness bleeding freely onto the paper. She doesn’t shy away from visceral darkness, but instead submerges your senses inside the gritty realities. A poetic reflection upon a life of toil and the challenges of forgiveness, this memoir is a triumphant reclamation of self for Deignan, and a celebration of resilience.

As might be expected, this book contains a lot of content that may be triggering to those who have suffered abuse, suicidal thoughts, or struggled with substance abuse, so please keep that in mind before reading.… (mais)