a different kind of same: a memoir

BookSparks TRUTH OR DARE Blog Tour!

a different kind of same; a memoir by Kelley Clink. CA: She Writes Press, 2015. 207 pages with "Questions for Discussions" and "Resources." *****


"Two weeks before his college graduation. Kelley Clink's younger brother Matt hanged himself." Thus begins Kelley's journey into who her brother was, her self-loathing at her inability to help him and her guilt about attempting suicide first. Grief is a solitary exercise and Kelley spirals into her own depression while trying to understand Matt's bipolar disorder and mental illness.  Cleaning out Matt's apartment, talking to his friends, reading his blog entries, his college papers and looking at his self-portraits, provides a look into a Matt that Kelley didn't know as her brother. Constantly seeking an answer to "why," supported by her parents and a loving husband, Kelley gives us a look into this grim and painful experience.


A gritty and loving look into the world of mental illness and  suicide. The book will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Acceptance under the best of circumstances is difficult, but Kelley portrays her feelings and thoughts realistically without sugar coating the process. Not my usual kind of book, but I received a copy from BookSparks and NetGalley to review. I am so glad, I read it and I recommend it for a serious read this summer.

Kelley Clink is a full-time writer with degrees in literature from the University of Alabama and DePaul University. She is the winner of the 2014 Beacon Street Prize in Nonfiction. She lives near Chicago with her husband and son.