Donald Antrim's personal insights reframe suicide-whether in thought or in action-as an illness in its own right, a unique consequence of trauma and personal isolation, rather than the choice of a depressed person.Ī necessary companion to William Styron's classic? Darkness Visible, this profound, insightful work sheds light on the tragedy and mystery of suicide, offering solace that may save lives. (AP) Northern California prosecutors on Friday charged a 21-year-old former university student with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with a series. in the sky one Friday afternoon in April 2006, acclaimed author Donald Antrim.

Through a clear and haunting reckoning with the author's own story, One Friday in April confronts the limits of our understanding of suicide. One of TIME s 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 One of BuzzFeeds Best Books of. In this moving memoir, Antrim vividly recounts what led him to the roof and what happened after he came back down: two hospitalizations, weeks of fruitless clinical trials, the terror of submitting to ECT-and the saving call from David Foster Wallace that convinced him to try it-as well as years of fitful recovery and setback. Named one of the Most Anticipated of Books of 2021 by the Los Angeles Times, Literary Hub, and The MillionsĪ searing and brave memoir that offers a new understanding of suicide as a distinct mental illness.Īs the sun lowered in the sky one Friday afternoon in April 2006, acclaimed author Donald Antrim found himself on the roof of his Brooklyn apartment building, afraid for his life. Antrim breaks all the rules in this just-published memoir, achieving a. One of TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 Review of ONE FRIDAY IN APRIL, A Story of Suicide and Survival, by Donald Antrim.

One Friday in April by Donald Antrim