Another Way Home

A Father's Memoir

De: John Thorndike, Janir Thorndike

Narrado por: John Thorndike

John Thorndike met his wife, Clarisa, as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. They fell in love, married, and had a son, Janir. But soon Clarisa began a painful slide into schizophrenia, and John realized that the only way to protect Janir was to take him away from his mother.

So begins this poignant memoir of single parenthood from a father’s perspective. John must find his way through the trials of child-rearing without a partner: the long nights and all-consuming days, the loneliness and confusion. But he knows as well the delights of living with, and looking after, a son he deeply loves.

In the face of a mysterious and terrifying illness, this is also the story of a family trying to maintain some kind of togetherness. Torn between his commitment to keep Clarisa a part of Janir’s life and the threat she poses to that life, John acknowledges that he can care for his son in ways he never could for Clarisa. All who have experienced the wrench of mental illness in the family will recognize their own journey in this heartfelt story of fatherhood.

©1996, 2023 John Thorndike (P)2023 John Thorndike