The
erratics
Laveau-Harvie, Vicki
creator
author.
text
biography
Autobiographies.
Autobiographies
Autobiographies
xna
Sydney, N.S.W
4th Estate
2019
monographic
eng
217 pages ; 21 cm.
When her elderly mother is hospitalised unexpectedly, Vicki travels to her parents' isolated ranch home in Alberta, Canada, to help her father. She has been estranged from her parents for many years (the reasons for which rapidly become clear) and is horrified by what she discovers on her arrival. Her mother has always been mentally unstable, but for years camouflaged her delusions and unpredictability. Over the decades she has managed to shut herself and her husband away from the outside world. Vicki's father, who has been systematically starved and kept virtually a prisoner in his own home, begins to realise what has happened to him and embarks upon plans of his own to combat his wife. Vicki quickly realises how dangerous, and potentially life-threatening, her mother's behaviour is. She fears for her father's life and her own safety if her mother returns home. The power play between her parents takes a dramatic turn and leaves Vicki embroiled in situations that are ludicrous, heart-breaking, and frightening. All this makes for an intensely gripping, yet black-humoured family drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Vicki Laveau-Harvie.
First published in 2018 by Finch Publishing.
Winner 2018 Finch Memoir Prize.
Short listed NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2019.
Winner 2019 Stella Award.
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u-at---
Laveau-Harvie, Vicki
Laveau-Harvie, Vicki
Family
Families
Canada
Family secrets
Mothers
Mental health
Canada
Mentally ill
Family relationships
Adult children
Australia
Biography
Mentally ill mothers
Biography
Dysfunctional families
Australia
Aging parents
Care
Canada
Autobiographies
Australian
616.85
9781460758250
NJB
180521
20221005153630.0
000065147437
eng