Book Review: Falling Apart in One Piece: One Optimist's Journey Through the Hell of Divorce by Stacy Morrison

Part of: Reviews in Brief

This is a gut-wrenchingly accurate account of the experience of divorce. The book is told with a sense of humour and honesty that is uncommon. The author writes the book in a memoir format. She explains in painstakingly detail the stress of being a working mother and trying to make sense of the quick unraveling of her marriage.

I was awestruck by how intertwined I became with Morrison's account of her divorce. I was transformed by the possibility of writing a story of her divorce without any hint of anger. I think I felt a lot more anger reading her book than she did writing it. Maybe that is one of the cathartic benefits of writing a memoir-the pain and anger that the author once felt seem to melt away as the author continues to transcribe her feelings and allowing them to melt into the page as she is writing about them in the minutest detail. It must be a great release to write such an emancipatory book.

A few things really stuck with me while I was reading the book. First, sometimes we don't know why marriages end. It's almost as if there is no real rhyme or reason to it as Morrison shows. Second, Morrison describes grief as a river. It is not something that stays the same but it is something that keeps changing as time goes on. In other words, you can grow with and through your grief and learn all the important lessons that there are to learn. And lastly, the end of a marriage does not necessarily have to signal the end of a person's love life. As Falling Apart in One Piece shows, it is possible to go on and move on, one small step at a time.

Article tags

Spread the word
Bookmark and Share
Profile image for irenesroth

Article Author: Irenesroth

I am a freelance writer for teens and tweens. I write predominantly nonfictional articles and books on psychological topics of interest to teens and tweens, and adults. I have a Masters Degree in Philosophy and have written over 120 online articles about similar topics. …

Visit Irenesroth's author pageIrenesroth's Blog

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own
  • No image found

Article comments

Add your comment, speak your mind

Personal attacks are NOT allowed.
Please read our comment policy.
Please preview your comment.

blogcritics lists for May 21, 2013

fresh articles Most recent articles site-wide

fresh comments Most recent comments site-wide

most comments Most comments in 24hrs

top writers Most prolific Blogcritics for April

top commenters Most prolific Commenters in 24 hrs