NEXT OF KIN A Memoir

Chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton expertly narrates her memoir about her family of origin. The youngest of five children, she grew up with an aloof mother and a charming but absent father. Now middle-aged, Hamilton has been estranged from her mother for roughly 30 years. The suicide of her oldest brother, Jeffrey, prompted her to reconnect with her mother in hopes of understanding that desperate act. Hamilton doesn't hold back even on herself: She confesses to an affair with her sister's husband. Overall, she projects her emotions as she narrates. Listeners can hear her smile at childhood antics and her regret as she speaks about painful subjects. While Tolstoy wrote that all happy families are alike, Hamilton's memoir shows that some families are complicated. A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2025]