This was such an amazing book. I personally have been affected by estrangement and was eager to dive into this book, since there is such little literature available on the subject from an academic perspective. Dr. Pillemer himself talks about this gap in research as being a motivation for him to write this book.

Fault Lines starts with defining estrangement since there's also not a clear set of circumstances that causes it and no treatment courses to help patients work through it from the psychological community. Instead, most have to figure out how to navigate through estrangement themselves. He then covers some research that provides insight into how many people are impacted by estrangement (more than you think) and what kind of family relationships people qualify using this definition.

He then beautifully weaves together personal stories with common themes, dynamics, and patterns that he has found over the course of his work which tends to replicate themselves. I found a lot of interesting parallels between my experience and what he says are common patterns in estranged relationships, such as the cutting off point often beginning with sending a letter, estranged relatives having ignorance to the issues that led them there, and estrangement driving from a relationship that was broken down with a volcanic event, followed by differing views of the past, and having unclear boundaries.

The book also ends with practical solutions and advice for those looking to reunite with their relatives, which I found to be both realistic and insightful. I can't recommend this book enough to those living with or impacted by estrangement, as well as any therapist or psychology expert that could benefit from insight into this often overlooked issue.