I read this book via audiobook. I should note that the author is also the narrator for the audiobook. I feel that hearing the author's voice helped me better understand her grief as she had to care for her mother after she was diagnosed with cancer. I have a friend who lost her mother to cancer a few years ago and I was impressed at how well Zauner was able to capture the experience through the words on the page. I was not familiar with her band before reading this book. However, now that I have explored more of her work I can vouch for her talent as a songwriter and singer and am therefore less surprised by her talent with prose in this work. This book is a highly personal experience with the grief experienced after losing a parent. It explores the complexity of grief and how it can evoke a flurry of emotions including depression, resentment, shame, and also serve as motivation for personal growth. This work was not what I expected it to be in terms of its focus on Zauner's complex relationship with her parents, but I was not disappointed.