Falling Into Place

September 2, 2013
Former network television correspondent Kauffman weaves together the stories of her childhood, her difficult divorce, and her coming to faith in an absorbing memoir. Kauffman, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, recounts a childhood marked by poverty and her parents’ alcohol abuse. Her first husband abused her in a marriage also made toxic by alcohol. Yet Kauffman’s recollections include strong sibling bonds, a loving Christian missionary aunt, and opportunities opened to her because of her intelligence. She juggles a lot narratively; the story line involving her divorce from her second husband moves forward in chronological order while scenes from childhood come and go, requiring the reader to pay close attention. Kauffman’s selectivity permits her to be discreet about some past events, even as she edges close to too much information and self-pity about an obviously painful divorce. Kauffman’s well-written account of her chaotic childhood is reminiscent of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, though not as emotionally fine-tuned. The faith element is light, which can broaden this memoir’s appeal. Agent: Ambassador Literary Agency.