A book whose structure is both challenging to the reader and befitting of the material, I admire Adrian's memoir and really appreciated this story and the writing in this book.

I thought this book was interesting, but could not find my footing nor was I really engaged. Perhaps it's just a consequence of the time, but I have to DNF this one all the same. Nevertheless, thanks for allowing me to read in advance — I really love the cover!

This book is hard to follow. At times it is confusing. The book is written how Kim lived her life. Growing up with an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother, must have been confusing and erratic. The book totally portrays what Kim and her sister went through. This is not for the faint of heart. Reading it may be depressing and sad. Reading it shines a light on mental illness, which certainly needs to be done. I am so sorry that the author had to go through this, but I deeply appreciate her sharing her story.

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me. Adrian's writing style is unconventional, both in content and organization. The order of the short vignettes are based on one word and listed alphabetically based off of that one word choice. I much prefer a chronological order, as it's easier for me to follow and keep continuity. Because of this order, I found myself not being able to read several vignettes in a row, and eventually put it down and didn't feel the pull to pick it back up.

I wanted to like this book more. The writing itself is beautiful and the series of vignettes make sense - dealing with her mother's constant "episodes" and incidents of weirdness make this a perfect vehicle in that regard.

Unfortunately, it also means that there's little solid plot. This would be fine if perhaps the book wasn't so long but somewhere around the middle (51% according to my Kindle) I found myself saying "wow, I feel like I've been reading this forever and I'm only halfway through". And unfortunately here is where it got tiring.

Again, I understand why this might actually be effective. I grew up with someone with mental illness that made life an excruciating, endless series of painful and exhausting vignettes myself, a series that lasted for years - but I'm unsure as to whether it works or not in this particular attempt to condense it all into a novel-sized experience. It's for this reason only gave it a three out of five. I'm on the fence, solidly. Beautiful writing isn't everything.

The Twenty-Seventh Letter of the Alphabet reads a little messy, but that’s exactly what loving someone with a mental illness feels like. The curiosity will keep you on this rollercoaster, you’ll certainly want to get off, but you’ll insist on holding on to see exactly what that 27th letter could possibly be. I can’t decide if this memoir is brave or if it’s a complete betrayal of a mother/daughter relationship. Either way, if you find yourself at ropes end loving someone with mental issues, this read will certainly make you feel less alone.

Adrian's book is unconventional in both style and content. The order is all jumbled together with no chronological continuity.. It's based on word alphabetized that is followed with a short vignettes from her life, mainly dealing with her parents. Most of her segments involve her mother. Adrian grew up in a violent, alcoholic environment, which was her father, and a mentally ill amd abusive mother. The content was sad and hard to read. The author often refers to pictures, but none are included, which is distracting. Ultimately, Adrian has forged a stable family life of her own and manages to have a pseudo relationship with her mother, even if it is only through text.

I really enjoyed this book. The format was unique and intriguing. I would've like a little more information about her mother transitioning to life outside the last hospitalization, but overall it was a very good read.

Kim Adrian captures the essence of “show, don’t tell” with her memoir of growing up (and being grown) with a mentally I’ll mother and abusive father. There were some very powerful scenes in this book. But, in spite of her powerful observations and writing, the organization of this book felt contrived and the overall story lacked the essential beginning, middle and end. Some of the memories were directly prompted by looking at pictures, which might have worked if (1) all of the memories were based on pictures and (2) there was an overarching narrative flow, but neither were true here.

I thouroughy enjoyed reading this raw look into the authors family.
In the beginning of the book the writing & sequence of events in the book comes across confusing & out of place. As you keep reading & become intrawled into the family life, this style of writing is pure genius. It adds to the story, it makes sense & makes this book uniquely stand out.
I appreciated the author's honesty & head on approach to some of the more uncomfortable topics in her memoir.

I'm a memoir addict and when the content focuses on dysfunctional families, even better! This book did not disappoint! The only thing I didn't like was the disjointed style of small blurbs relating to particular words of any given alphabet letter. It made it hard to follow at times and would have been better in essay style. I would still recommend this one though. 👍🏼👍🏼

Having lived in similar circumstances, i latched onto this book right away.
And i love the concept of the book, though it will seem disjointed to some. But that scatter-shot construction accurately reflects what it's like to live under such circumstances. Living with a mentally-ill loved one is a mosaic of splinters of memory, both good and bad. Those memories are not linear;they come in fragments and we never know what will trigger them. Adrian uses the concept of language to shape the memories in her important book, and it is accurate, effective, and emotionally wrenching.
This is a book i will return to periodically.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review