Rating: 4 stars
Headline: A beautiful memoir, be prepared for plenty of tears and fistfuls of anger
Review:
Rise After Silence is the debut memoir from Emergency Room (ER) professional, Anne Aspler. Coming in at just shy of 300 pages cover to cover, Rise After Silence is an eye-opening account of Aspler’s life in ER, the patients and colleagues that shape her working day, juxtaposed with the author’s life outside of the nine-to-five. Sometimes, it is hard to make out which makes the more challenging read. In her author’s note, Aspler informs readers that certain identifying details (such as names and timelines) have been changed, and the cover is designed by award-winning illustrator, Natàlia Pàmies.
Rise After Silence is a gripping read, carefully laid out into four distinct sections and covers in great depth childhood and adult assault (both experienced by the author and by her ER patients). A pivotal moment in the memoir is the author coming to terms with the abusive crimes of her father around the time of the #MeToo movement. At the same time as thousands (if not, millions) of woman around the world start speaking up, Aspler, too, has her eyes opened to suppressed memories from her childhood. Bearing in mind Asper’s own mother was, by this point, a diagnosed schizophrenic, then as a reader it feels like a wonder this high-flying, Harvard qualified, professional was able to pull through life at all during this point.
In slightly lighter moments in the book, we see the author navigating the complicated world of online dating and becoming a parent for the first time, but in truth these moments of light are limited and can be found left sparing amongst Aspler’s broader life story. Even her experiences during a residency in Rwanda and the moment when the author and her sister finally get hold of their foster records, they feel bittersweet in nature.
Rise After Silence certainly brings something to the table in the topics it tackles head-on. It is full of colourful characters and demonstrates a strong growth arc of the author, starting in a turbulent place, to ultimately land in a mental state which is moving in a positive direction. This also includes a decisive decision on her relationship with her convicted father. The darkness of this memoir might not be for everyone, and while this reviewer never expected Rise After Silence to be “happy-clappy”, sometimes the moments of good felt all to brief. If nothing else, this memoir serves to remind us how far we have yet to come with protecting women and children from harm.
A very well put together book, just be prepared for the tears and anger along the way.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” by Anne Aspler
Purchase Link: “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” by Anne Aspler (Amazon)
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