My Mother's House: A Memoir

by David Armand

Set in the bucolic, yet brutal South of his youth, My Mother’s House is a memoir by novelist David Armand. It recounts the young author’s early memories of being born to a schizophrenic mother, then given up for adoption, only to be raised in a home with an alcoholic and abusive step-father. In this sharply-remembered portrait of the people and places that shaped him, Armand paints his seemingly negative experiences with a sympathetic and understanding brush. As the reader follows Armand through his childhood and later into adult life—when he is reunited with his mother after she makes a failed suicide attempt—a surprisingly new world of hope and possibility is rendered, despite the overwhelming challenges of this reunion.


[Armand's] writing is reminiscent of Hemingway: straightforward descriptions of manly action punctuated by laconic dialogue."--New York Journal of Books

"Armand writes in a comfortingly familiar literary voice that blends Ernest Hemingway’s laconic but rhythmically complicated explorations of the mysteries of masculinity with William Faulkner’s more fabulist, Southern Gothic twang. It’s a heady, seductively intoxicating combination."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2016

About the author

David Armand was born and raised in Louisiana. He has worked as a drywall hanger, a draftsman, and as a press operator in a flag printing factory. From 2017-2019, he served as Writer-in-Residence at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he currently holds the Leola R. Purcell Endowed Professorship in English. In 2010, he won the George Garrett Fiction Prize for his first novel, The Pugilist's Wife, which was published by Texas Review Press. He has since published three more novels, four collections of poetry, and a memoir. His latest book, Mirrors, was recently published by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press. Armand is also the 2022 recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award, which is presented annually by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana, which recognizes outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life exemplified by a contemporary Louisiana writer’s body of work. Armand's next novel, Walk the Night, is forthcoming from Texas Review Press.

Reviews

[Colton · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Armand was my Creative Writing professor in college, and I know him in real life. Like many memoirs of troubled lives, this was a hard book to read, but it gave me insight into a world so close to my own in physical location (southern Louisiana), and yet still so distant. It is clear that almost all the adults in his childhood failed him in many ways, yet this is not an angry book at all. It is inspiring to see someone break the cycle of abuse and poverty as Mr. Armand has. But by the end, I was left wanting to know more about Armand as a person. He recounts his childhood in detail, yet the later half of the book is dedicated almost solely to him dealing with his mother. I wanted to read about his marriage and children and how he became a published author and professor, but I suppose this is ultimately less of an autobiography than a memoir of a specific relationship and how it evolves over time. I have dealt with a similar experience of mental illness in my own personal life (to a less severe extent), and this book is unflinching in its depiction of both the depravity and fluidity of familial relationships and how complex they can be. Recommended, especially for local readers.

[Jay Cardam · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last year I have read two novels and a little book of poetry by this author. Each has been a top notch experience. Now, having read this memoir, I am a little blown away.

Armand relates his young years separated from his birth mother and then her reintroduction into his life. There is nothing pretty about any of it. This is a story about a hard life, a hard growing-up, of loving people who are very hard to love. It is a life story about survival in the presence of mental illness and the hard realities of life. It is disturbing but ultimately life affirming.

The cliche, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, comes to mind. David Armand must be a strong man indeed.

[Billie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mother's House

It was a very revealing book that shows that the entire family is impacted when someone b they love and depend on suffers from a debilitating mental illness. I agree that there is a huge need for improvement in this area and it is unlikely to happen. Thanks for sharing such a personal and painful experience!

[Joy E. Rancatore · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mother's House brings readers names and faces to represent the countless victims of mental health issues who do not receive the help or care they desperately need. This memoir also gives a voice to the family members beaten and burdened by diseases no one understands and few can handle.

[Stefanie Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely incredible, unflinchingly honest portrayal of mental illness. I could not put it down and I’m hungry for more. I cannot recommend Armand’s work highly enough.

[Eliana Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very powerful book . David’s voice is heart wrenching
And real. I went to one of his book signings locally and he gave us all great tips on the process of writing Poetry close to home .

[Emily McLew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so captivated by the raw and real narrative. David Armand presents such a devastating tale, yet there is still hope, charm, and perseverance. I am not normally an easy cryer, but this life writing had me choking back tears at several turns. This memoir details the struggles of a young man as a result of his mentally ill mother. Understandably, there are times of uncertainty for the narrator, but he admirably always does the right, as much as possible, thing. I admire his ability to write about such personal events and to still live his life with peace and not bitterness. A quick and compelling read and a must for anyone who is interested in the genre.

[The Advocate]

Author of the recent memoir, “My Mother’s House,” David Armand has worn many literary hats in his mere 36 years. He’s published three novels, a collection of poems and various short stories and essays around the country. But it is in the form of memoir that this author truly shines.

Read more: http://theadvocate.com/entertainment/...

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I could not put this book down and finished it in one afternoon. It is a heart wrenching account of mental illness and how it impacted the Author. It also shows how negligent our system of healthcare is in providing long term treatment options for people with severe mental illness.