Unfixed: A Memoir of Family, Mystery, and the Currents That Carry You Home

Unfixed: A Memoir of Family, Mystery, and the Currents That Carry You Home

When the tide of hidden truths and an unsteady body collide, one woman’s search for home becomes a journey of reclamation, resilience, and the enduring power of forgiveness. "Warner’s poetic prose and intimate descriptions of her inscape while grieving... plunge readers directly into her reality." ― Publishers Weekly, Editor's Pick "Genre-defying... A gripping, often literary memoir that ruminates on life’s unfixable complications." ― Kirkus What do you do when the foundations of your life―family, identity, and health―begin to crack beneath your feet? In Unfixed , Kimberly takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the uncharted waters of family secrets, chronic illness, and the relentless search for truth and forgiveness. When Warner's seemingly stable world begins to unravel, she discovers that her father―a figure both present and painfully absent―harbors a long-buried secret. This revelation propels her into an emotional labyrinth of discovery, forcing her to confront the ghosts of her past and redefine the meaning of home, family, and self. Set against the backdrop of Warner's battle with an elusive and debilitating illness, Unfixed is a deeply intimate exploration of resilience and vulnerability. Warner masterfully weaves together threads of personal struggle and universal themes, painting a portrait of a life in flux that will resonate with anyone who has ever sought clarity in chaos. At its heart, Unfixed is a story of reckoning―not only with the haunting specter of a lost father but also with the body's betrayal and the limits of medical certainty. With the lyricism of Dani Shapiro's Inheritance and the rich emotional depth of Where the Crawdads Sing , Warner crafts a narrative that is both gripping and profoundly moving. Through luminous prose and unflinching honesty, Unfixed reveals the beauty and heartbreak of uncovering truths that were never meant to be found. It is a celebration of the human spirit's capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of the unknown, offering readers a poignant reminder that even in the most unfixed of lives, there is room for hope, connection, and self-discovery. Perfect for readers who find solace in stories of resilience and transformation, Unfixed invites you to walk alongside Warner on a journey of uncovering, unraveling, and ultimately rebuilding. Publishers Weekly Editor's Pick Warner’s closely observed, intense memoir explores questions of heredity and identity. When Warner loses her father, David―a doctor―in a motor vehicle accident, she reacts with numbness, just as she had responded to the casual revelation from her mother Nancy, that she may not be David’s child. Though outwardly an overachieving, well-adjusted youngster, Warner’s inner world is chaotic, and her major decisions―like career choice and life partners―are attempts to get closer to her dad. But when her brother Eric gives her a DNA kit, the tests reveal he is only her half-sibling. This prompts a quest that surprises even Warner in her readiness to “forge ahead with this new information… to walk on coals.” Warner’s poetic prose and intimate descriptions of her inscape while grieving the sudden loss of her father plunge readers directly into her reality. Her attempts to carve a career in medicine as a legacy that “has” to be followed, and her affinity towards men who in some way resemble her father, make profound sense. Warner’s partner Dave stands out as a pivotal figure in her life; caregiving takes a heavy toll, and readers will admire Dave’s commitment to his intellectually disabled daughter Syd―and his support of Warner during the worst days of her undiagnosed illness, later found to be a rare neurological disorder known as Non-Motion Triggered Oscillatory Vertigo. Warner’s attempt to let things remain unsolved, to just be, and to avoid always needing to be in control will resonate with readers tired of living in an everything-can-be-fixed world. This evocative, deeply immersive memoir reiterates that people process grief in different ways, sometimes taking decades to come to terms with it. Those who seem fine may not always be, and the mysterious DNA structures we carry within us encode more into our beings than we will ever know. Takeaway: Engrossing memoir of loss, heritage, and identity. Comparable Titles: Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance , Margo Reilly’s When You Shake the Family Tree . Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A ― PW Staff Reviewer , Publishers Weekly An "Engrossing memoir of loss, heritage, and identity." ― Publishers Weekly ― PW Staff Reviewer , Publishers Weekly "Tremendous writing. The unease is inescapable." - Kenny Farquharson - The Times, Edinburgh ― Kenny Farquharson , The Times, Edinburgh "Chilling. Horror. Warner’s words are so powerful, I felt as if I were going through the experience with her." - Sara Davidson, New York Times Bestselling Author ― Sara Davidson , New York