Mystery author Martha Grimes teamed up with her son to write this slight (211 page) memoir about their respective experiences with alcoholism. As of the writing of this book (published in 2013), they both had about two decades of sobriety. Chapters alternate between both of their perspectives about their addictions and eventual sobriety with a few chapters that are simply a transcribed conversation between the two. They write about how they began drinking, and in Ken's case, doing drugs; how their behavior impacted each other; and how they achieved sobriety, Martha through a clinic and Ken through a 12-step program. I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the concept of a dual memoir about two people facing the same challenge and how they overcame that challenge in different ways. However, I feel like the book would have better served if the stories were told in a more chronological manner. This book hops around quite a bit and that makes it feel a little disjointed. It feels dashed off, and I wonder that a stronger hand wasn't taken with the editing and shaping of the book. I do note that there isn't an acknowledgement page, and in the dedication (which includes a few thanks), there is no mention of editors who might have helped.
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