The Rope of Life is a deeply personal and riveting memoir by Mirinda Kossoff. It is both fascinating and uplifting.
Memoir provides an author an avenue to take a deep dive into the past. Through memoir, readers glimpse different lifestyles, pieces of history and locations they might never have known. I was gripped by this story and read it quickly over two days. I soaked up the historical information and was glued by the family dynamics. Although we understand there will be a sad ending, Mirinda Kossoff’ writes with such grace and humility that I was not left feeling sad. Rather, Kossoff’s drive to look beyond past hurts – and to understand the why of her life and her relationship with her father – is uplifting and inspiring.
My heart went out to her father, Hugh, who, determined to fit in, changes his first name, has a nose job and converts from Judaism to Christianity. These changes don’t seem to make a difference as this very intelligent, inventive man is still turned down in different ventures because of his surname. Despite embracing the Baptist church with fervor, he is still considered different because of his heritage. The psychological effect of such treatment was to leave scars that marred not only his personality but also his relationship with his daughter. I felt this keenly when he nicknamed the author ‘Cruella,’ without realizing the negative effect it would have on her confidence. I loved all the old photographs. They brought the story to life. The most compelling photo is one of the author at three years of age. She is sitting on a tricycle, laughing. To know that happy little girl grows up to become estranged from her father, whom she loved so much, was very sad. This is a tender book about family relationships and religious upbringing that will have readers completely captivated.
Mirinda Kossoff takes us on a beautiful walk through her family history. Touching on sensitive topics such as depression and suicide, the author writes so well that the telling is graceful, stirring and extremely human, so much so that she inspires us to examine our own lives and the meaning behind what we’ve experienced. This is certainly one of the most well-written, touching and passionate memoir’s I have read in a very long time. The Rope of Life:
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