The gift

"This moving fictional memoir begins as a woman heads home after a meeting about her inheritance. Once on the train, she jots down a few notes, intended as a letter to her parents, which prompt the lyrical burst of memory and emotion that consitute this arresting novel. The narrator's mother had always loomed large in her life. Labeled "eccentric" or "Italian," her mother actually suffered from bipolar disorder. Without understanding the disease, the family treated the unpredictable ups and downs of her condition as best they could. During periods of paralyzing depression she was hospitalized, and the family felt abandoned. During periods of manic productivity, she was a dedicated pharmacist, an exemplary homemaker, and an exceptionally knowledgeable gardener."--P. [4] of cover.