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Sunday, November 26, 2023

Book Review: When She Comes Back: A Memoir by Ronit Plank/ Memoir

Hello dear Readers,

Below is my book review of When She Comes Back: A Memoir by Ronit Plank.


Title: When She Comes Back: A Memoir
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Memoir
Author: Ronit Plank
Publisher: Motina Books
Publication Date: May 05, 2021
Language: English
Paperback: 228 pages
Meet the Author: Ronit Plank
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Abandoned By Her Mother

Ronit was six years old when her mother left her and her four-year-old sister for India to follow a cult guru. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, whose commune was responsible for the largest biological attack on U.S. soil, preached that children were hindrances and encouraged sterilizations among his followers. Luckily Ronit's father, who'd left the family the previous year, stepped up and brought the girls to live with him first in Newark, New Jersey, and later in Flushing, Queens. On the surface, his nurturing was the balm Ronit sought, but she soon paid a second emotional price, taking on the role of partner and confidant to him, and substitute mother to her sister. By the end of her childhood, Ronit would discover she had lost her mother and the close and trusting relationship she once had with her father. Though they have had a relationship now for years, she grappled with the toll her mother's leaving took, measuring her self-worth by her absence.

When She Comes Back is the story of a family trying to find itself, grownups who don't know how to be adults, and the pain a child feels when she discovers that her love for her mother is not enough to make that parent stay. When She Comes Back is also a story of resilience and reconciliation, how rejection by the most important person in Ronit's life ultimately led to an unflagging commitment to, and love for her own children.


My Thoughts

A heartbreaking but beautifully written story.

I discovered the author thanks to her podcast Let's Talk Memoir. Already a favorite. I just love it. The way Ronit interacts with her guests. makes it interesting, engaging, and very informative. 

When She Comes Back is about family relationships, especially between mother and daughter, and the loss and abandonment Ronit and her sister went through because her mother decided to join a cult and left them with their father. 

I didn't go through what Ronit did but in a way, I could relate to the loss because even when you live with your parents under the same roof, you can feel like they are not there, like there are no relationships or ties at all. I felt for her but I also admired how aware of her surroundings she was from such a young age and how protective I thought she was of her sister. 

I love reading memoirs and this one was such a treat. I really enjoyed it and I am thankful the author decided to share her story. 


Wendy