An Empty Chair : Living in the Wake of a Sibling's Suicide

Rating:
Summary: Sibling Survivors
Review: Swan-Miller writes sensitively and knowledgeably about the impact of the suicide of a family member on the surviving sibling(s). Using her personal experience as a starting off point, she explores a variety of sibling relationships and feelings about the suicide of a brother or sister. Through interviews with sibling survivors she exposes the wide variety of emotions that these survivors go through and the unique aspects of their experiences. Straight-forward prose, well organized chapters and an underpinning of psychological expertise help the reader understand and digest this difficult topic. Clearly there is a need for greater support and understanding of sibling relationships within the family dynamic- especially when there is a suicide. Though I think that a bibliography/list of resources for survivors would have been a useful inclusion, this book is an excellent resource for lay and professional alike.