The Three of Us: A Family Story

An unsettling memoir of a precocious upper middle class adolescent reared in an eccentric, drug-influenced and sexually promiscuous household. Odd-ball, destructive and even humorous characters abound. Exotic locales and strange photgraphs further add to the appeal of this autobiography. Emininently readable and absorbing, despite recurrent British-isms.

After reading substantive reviews of this strange memoir, I simply had to give it a read for myself. What's so striking about Blackburn's work here is her downright, unabashed honesty. Dad is a monster, alright, but his crazy drunken antics were somehow more acceptable than her mother's odd, boundary violations of an all too prurient interest in her budding daughter's private sexual coming of age. This is a torture Blackurn takes us through interspersed with passages on accounts she made some thirty years forward as this very same mother lay dying. Of course, all this makes for an exceptional memoir. One I can be thankful for in portraying complex parents one still must come to terms with long after both have departed this world. Powerful reading ranked highly on my list of must-reads. Should be better known (I think of the mega-hit, THE GLASS CASTLE, which is page-turning reading, but not nearly as well written and reflective as Blackburn's.) Recommend--especially if you've experienced, first-hand, the pain of difficult parents.

This book was mentioned in a Harper's review about memoirs in general, and given high marks for its unusual format and content I bought it to study the writing technique and couldn't put it down. The present and past are deftly woven into a thickly textured family drama that drew me in from the very first page. The diary entries are emphatically apropos, and along with the family pictures create a sense of intimacy with the characters and scenario that feels almost like being part of the family. The story was rough, but the telling of it rang true and lent a certain stability to the challenging terrain. I highly recommend this book.

It has the peace and clarity that often mark those who have been through suffering and come out the other side. The author's honesty, acceptance and humour while recounting some terrible events inspired respect and reverence in me. Julia Blackburn reminds us that, whatever has happened to us and whatever our mind has made of it, forgiveness and the unconditional love that are our birthright are always there to be reclaimed.

This is the season for memoirs of dysfunctional parents. First Miranda Seymour published "Thrumpton Hall" of her English upbringing with her eccentric father. Then Doris Lessing created "Alfred and Emily" of her parents, complete with an alternative history of them. Now Ms. Blackburn has written of her family in the 1960's in a factual matter of fact style. She introduces her alcoholic, violent father and promiscuous, sexually competitive mother in the opening chapter, while offering hope of healing at the same time so that the reader is not overwhelmed with depression. It is amazing that the author turned out to have avoided her parent's mistakes and have a happy life. She is an excellent writer and story-teller.