The Kiss

"I picked up THE KISS this past weekend and re-read this beautifully haunting memoir about family and loss. There are so few writers who approach their subject matter in so painfully honest a way: Harrison's prose is spare and pointed, always insightful and charged with raw emotion as she plunges us deeper into the addictive relationships between mother and daughter, daughter and father. I can say, without any reservation, that Harrison's memoir is one so striking that it always sticks with me, as a book to read and re-read. Highly recommended--this is a powerful and compelling work, from a writer who is always at the very top of her game. "
~ Written on 2008-09-16

"I am glad I picked this memoir up again..after at least the second time. Parts of it were poetic and moving, and parts of it were very difficult to read. I am going to get a hold of "The Mother Knot" as soon as possible. It also is a memoir by Kathryn Harrison. After exploring (using Amazon's) search inside feature I found that I had read one of her other memoirs..titled "Seeking Rapture" I will review that one soon."
~ Written on 2007-12-18

"Kathryn Harrison shows compelling bravery in her memoir, The Kiss. She confides in the reader on the dark and disturbing subject matter of her incest relationship with her father. She takes us on a journey through a complex past and family life. When she was young her father was an absent mystery and she is not shy to explain that this made him an object of extreme interest to her. I love the honesty behind her writing and the extreme vulnerability she shows to the reader. She admits, "I want to be held too much to stay away" (87). The abrupt transitions between scenes from her seemingly normal everyday life and the secret she lives with her father is extremely effective in captivating the reader's attention. The pages will keep turning as she continues to be more and more affected by the haunting secret she keeps. Although she describes her encounters with her father in graphic detail, it is impossible for the reader to be disgusted. There is an ongoing feeling of sympathy for Harrison as she beautifully explains her desperate longing for love and a sense of belonging. "I'm afraid that whatever he wants, I will give him," (107) she discloses. The memoir continues to take the reader deeper and deeper to new levels of complexity especially in regards to Harrison's struggling relationship with her mother. So many knots are presented in this book that the reader cannot help but want to continue to read on and try and untie them. Every sentence in packed with emotion and despite coming from an obviously broken girl, the voice is powerful and strong. I definitely recommend Kathryn Harrisons memoir to anyone who appreciates good writing and a profound story.
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~ Written on 2007-10-29

" "The Kiss", by Kathryn Harrison, is a spectacular memoir, and I highly recommend anyone to read it. The

book focuses on the incestuous relationship between Kathryn Harrison and her father, who re-enters her life

during her teen years, after not having seen her for several years.

When telling her story, Harrison writes in the present tense. This is a very interesting technique, because it

makes the reader feel as if she is actually speaking the story out loud, telling it directly to her audience.

Harrison portrays this literary talent when she writes, "After months of letters and calls, as many as three of

each in a day, all promising devotion, all asking for mine, my father has prepared me for what he

requests" (107). Harrison may as well be having a conversation with me when she writes this sentence, it

sounds so real and legitimate!

Aside from the use of wonderful literary techniques, Harrison manages to take incest, a dark and "hush-

hushed" topic, and manages to convey it as a beautiful, loving, subject, "'I love you,' my father says. `I need

you.' `I need you, too,' I whisper." If I had read this passage, unaware of the actual content of "The Kiss", I

would never know it regarded incest, yet, two people who love each other. Harrison's story enabled me to see

the true beauty of her words, and to not be so quick to undermine the love of two people.

Read this book. I guarantee you will see the beauty pertained in darkness."
~ Written on 2007-10-28

"Oh, the webs we weave! Kathryn Harrison is one of the best writers around and I've read several of her books. Although this one may be dark, and it's about incest, it is an incredible journey of longing and need that takes a young woman to the very bottom of herself."
~ Written on 2007-10-24