PositiveThe New York TimesAs with many gay men before him, Hamill’s axis of identity/sexuality hinges on his relationship with his mother. And, whoa, did Wendy Hamill ever deliver as an archetype: a beacon of distant fabulosity coupled with deft microaggression. As written here, Wendy (who died surrounded by her sons) deserves placement in the gay canon ... Hamill’s memoir is about survival — and recovery: of his identity, memories and compassion for his mother ... These pages are steeped in gin. The collateral damage of a home with an alcoholic parent floats to the top.
Helen Macdonald
PositiveEntertainment WeeklyReading Macdonald’s short chapters and stunted sentences—little synapses from her now-SSRI-clouded brain—you get a little high. When the bird makes her first kill, the scene is indeed as graphic and pulsing as any Grafton thriller. And when Macdonald helps, we realize that Helen’s not the Hawk Woman, she’s the Hawk Mother. You’ll never see a bird overhead the same way again.
