I was not going to read this book, but then I heard Hunter Biden on WTF being interviewed by Marc Maron and I was.. intrigued. They talked about his book of course, but some details were unclear to me and I felt that the timeline would be better understood (by me) when read. But what really caught my attention was Maron saying that he was concerned or worried about Hunter still. You could just feel Maron liking, relating to, and being very worried about him. So, read the book, I did.
The first part of the book relates, from Hunter's viewpoint, the well known tragedies of the Biden family. The accident that took his mother and sister's life, which he barely remembers. And Beau's death, which he can never forget. This part, no matter if you've heard the story before, will make you cry. Well, it made me cry.
Then Hunter gives some background into his early life and marriage. It is filled with the warning signs of addiction. In early days, it was alcohol. He was in and out of rehab. Then the perilous descent when he got addicted to crack. This story is grimy and harrowing. And if you have ever loved someone with an addiction, very triggering. His years long bender finally ends when he meets and falls in love with his present wife.
The writing is serviceable, the timeline was cleared up for me. Hunter offers in this book a confession, or explanations. To how he became a board member of Burisima, how he got together with Hallie, and other questionable things. He is defensive about his qualificationsm at times angry. I am left unsure of how to feel about him as person. I am unsure about the sustainability of his sobriety. But of this, I am sure. His love for his brother was true. And Joe Biden is a loving father.
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