Four Rooms, Upstairs

Suzanne Toren's introspective narration illuminates the poignancy of this compelling family history. This is the story of a daughter's coming to terms with her mother's mental illness during the mid-twentieth century, when the shades were tightly drawn around such conditions. Toren's nuanced presentation reveals the young Shapiro's confusion about what is wrong with her mother, as well as the author's abiding hope that her mother's mental health will improve. Effectively using tone, Toren differentiates the periods when Shapiro's mother is well from when she is once again falling into darkness. Toren also brings out Shapiro's joy at small pleasures and moments of kindness. The epilogue presents a brief account of the early life of Shapiro's family in Russia and their immigration to the United States. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine