The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It : Over the Edge and Back with My Dad, My Cat, and Me
- Book Review,
by GENEEN ROTH
From Publishers Weekly
Roth’s 1991 bestseller, When Food is Love, analyzed the connection between compulsive eating and intimacy, and all of her subsequent books dealt with eating issues as well, but in this stellar memoir cum self-help book, she broadens her scope to address the larger issues of love, trust and family. Roth’s witty and self-deprecating personality comes across on every page as she recounts how the adoption of a cat changed her life, allowing her to open up, as well as to accept and give love. A decade of yo-yo dieting—she gained and lost over 1,000 pounds—had left Roth lonely and broken, with little faith in the existence of loving relationships ("Why love someone who is just going to turn around and either leave or die?" she wondered). Her cat, Blanche, was the first creature to break through her defenses, and her boyfriend (now her husband), Matt, was the next. Aside from some recurring panic attacks, everything went along swimmingly, until Roth’s father was diagnosed with cancer and she was forced to confront the dark veins of deception that had always been present in their seemingly golden relationship. Roth narrates her journey in short, engrossing chapters, and also helps readers help themselves by splicing in tidbits about the psychology of attachment and the rewards of spiritual exploration. Readers who love cats will eat up every adoring word Roth writes about Blanche, and fans of Anne Lamott-style writing will line up for this book, but its real value lies in its sharp dissection of child-parent relationships.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From the Inside Flap
Geneen Roth’s legions of fans have always responded to her humor and honesty, her warmth and savvy. Those qualities, so present in The Craggy Hole in My Heart and The Cat Who Fixed It, take us deep into the story of a remarkable twenty-pound cat, Mister Blanche, and Geneen’s beloved father, Bernard, and the ways in which each taught her to love without reservation and to accept the fact that she might someday lose those whom she believed she could not live without.
In these remarkable, inspiring, and joyous pages, we discover along with Geneen how to break free of the same fears that may drive us to eat or drink or shop too much. Fear of being vulnerable, fear of death, fear of losing what we want most: These are the demons that can inhibit our ability to embrace life freely and fully.
Come meet Mister Blanche and the charming Bernard and immerse yourself in a poignant and funny story that is Geneen’s best. As her loyal readership already knows: It’s not about food, it’s not about the cat . . . it’s always been about love and how to live with it—and never live without it!
About the Author
GENEEN ROTH is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller When Food Is Love. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Prime Time Live, and many other national television shows, and her work has been featured in numerous publications. She lives in northern California and maintains an active lecture and workshop schedule.
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