After reading a fair number of losing-my-religion memoirs, I picked up this book with lukewarm expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that, subject matter aside, Greenhouse's book kept me turning pages well into the night. Her narrative begins a tad slowly, skipping through her childhood and adolescence with well-written scenes of her own indoctrination. (Some readers will probably complain that she included too many doctrinal explanations, while others will wish for more. I'm in the latter camp. But I digress.) These scenes gave me a cursory introduction to the basic belief system of Christian Science, as well as an explanation for the logic (however skewed) that Greenhouse and her family will cling to when her mother falls ill. (Which is where the tension jumps and the reader can wave goodbye to an early bedtime.)

What impressed me most is Greenhouse's ability to portray her family members as dynamic, empathetic characters who hold wildly opposite beliefs. She tells a heartbreaking tale where are no clear-cut villains, only good intentions, misunderstandings, and a belief system that is infuriating. Best of all, she never tells readers what to think; she lets us see and feel it from her perspective. Highly recommended.