Shadow Daughter

A Memoir of Estrangement

By: Harriet Brown

Narrated by: Harriet Brown

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting, provocative, and ultimately hopeful exploration of mother-daughter estrangement, woven with research and anecdotes, from an award-winning journalist.

The day of her mother's funeral, Harriet Brown was 5,000 miles away. To say that Harriet and her mother had a difficult relationship is a wild understatement; the older Harriet grew, the more estranged they became. By the time Harriet's mom died at age 76, they were out of contact. Yet Harriet felt her death deeply, embarking on an exploration of what family estrangement means - to those who cut off contact, to those who are estranged, to the friends and family members who are on the sidelines.

Shadow Daughter tackles a subject we rarely discuss as a culture: Family estrangements, especially those between parents and adult children. Estrangements - between parents and children, siblings, multiple generations - are surprisingly common, and even families that aren't officially estranged often have some experience of deep conflicts. Estrangement is an issue that touches most people, one way or another, one that's still shrouded in secrecy, stigma, and shame. In addition to her personal narrative, Harriet employs interviews with others who are estranged, as well as the most recent research on family estrangement, for a brave exploration of this taboo topic. Ultimately, Shadow Daughter is a thoughtful, deeply researched, and provocative exploration of the ties that bind and break, forgiveness, reconciliation, and what family really means.

©2018 Harriet Brown (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Enlightening

I liked how the author spoke of other daughters struggles. Other mothers feeling. I started reading this book as a mom trying to find a way to connect with my estranged daughter, but I realized I was the mother who alienated the daughter.

Variety of Experiences

While this book didn’t fully hit for me, there was an obvious effort by the author to encapsulate a variety of experiences. I appreciated the efforts to depict resolutions outside of reconciliation.

A particularly memorable line:
“She (the mother) wanted me to deny myself before I even knew who I was.”

Extraordinary book about dealing with a mean parent

This is the first book I’ve ever read that made me feel like someone understands what I’ve gone through with my own parents and sister. What a relief to hear about others who have had to deal with a self absorbed mother and emotionally weak father. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Harriet.

Mother to estranged daughter.

As the mother of an estranged daughter this book gave me a lot of insight into how to proceed, or not, in attempts to reconcile. I think we need a time apart to grow.

Beautifully put book

This felt like a warm cup of coffee for my soul, being estranged from my entire family has been so painful and hard to process. This has helped me, at the very least, feel less alone

A Worthy Read!

A Worthy Read especially if any Estrangement in your family. Gave me a lot of comfort & understanding of family estrangement.

Good descriptive child's view

This was a good read to understand people's hearts and the view of a daughter and her estrangement with her mother. I t is a good read for someone who needs a view of the child's perspective

I thought I was alone

This book allowed me to take that step to stand firm in my decision to break away from my mother. Thanks!

Fantastic Book for Daughters with difficult relationships with their mothers

This book has been life changing for me. I feel so understood for the first time in a long time. I have struggled with my relationship with my mother and have always wondered what is wrong with me. The validation this book provides has been a bright light of hope for me. I’m so grateful to Harriet Brown for putting into words what I couldn’t explain. This is a must read.

very helpful

thank you for sharing your story. I found it very helpful regarding my own estrangement.