A Bump in the Road by Michael Caprio is a memoir about a young man's struggle through treatment and recovery of a genetic diseases that requires removal of the large intestine. At 18, Michael goes for what he expects is routine bloodwork, only to find out that he has also inherited a disease that runs in his family. He is then thrown straight from high school into a crazy new world of surgeries, pain medicine and constantly adjusting his diet now that he is missing an important organ from his digestive system! Along the way he also experiences a series of mental health challenges which come with chronic illness, hereditary disorders and the isolation that comes when you push people away because you don't want others to know the challenges you are experiencing. Michael's story is very reflective and personal, yet the connection he makes with readers is one that allows you to experiences the ups and downs of his journey with him.
One really interesting part of this story is the dynamic of the inherited disease. Michael's maternal grandmother, great aunt (deceased at time of writing), aunt and mother all had similar but different surgeries and recoveries from the same illness, decades apart. As Michael comes to terms with his own illness, he also learns about the path his family has led for him, as they were guinea pigs for new surgeries, they learned strategies to aid in recovery, and understand what he is experiencing better than any doctor or unaffected family member ever could. Additionally, this element of genetic inheritance also creates some difficulty for Michael and his mother as she feels guilt for passing on this disease to her son. Michael never wants her to feel guilty, but in his own low moments sometimes inadvertently says things which perpetuate the grief his mother is already feeling. Together they must recover not only from the illness which affects them both, but also the emotional challenges that come with genetics.
I also really connected with Michael's story of losing his grand parents. It was eerily similar to the loss of my own grandparents. Michael and I are fairly close in age, he was 18 in 2015 and I was 18 in 2009, so I guess about 6 years apart. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer and fought hard but passed away in 2019. My grandpa followed shortly after, I believe in part due to losing his wife of so many years. He passed away during the height of the pandemic. Michael's grandmother was also diagnosed with cancer and fought hard but sadly passed away, as did his grandfather shortly after, right around the time of the pandemic. It's such a hard thing to lose grandparents, especially when you are so close with them, as it was clear Michael was. His grandmother was a huge support during his recovery and a light in the dark times in his life, much like my grandmother was.
In general, the writing in this story is pretty good. It reads like a conversation between you and the author as it is a very candid and reflective story. Michael's account of his recovery is very honest and he was constantly reflecting on how he was feeling at different times throughout. At times, some parts felt a bit dragged out, but for the most part there was a good amount of detail written to give a clear description without being redundant. Michael uses a lot of idioms and common phrases, like "bump in the road", "the good, the bad and the ugly" etc. which adds an element of entertainment as well as provides a bit of a road map for his journey. There were several grammar mistakes that stood out to me and perhaps it could have been edited more thoroughly. Things like then/than, to/too and some awkward phrasings were hard for me to ignore, but they were fairly rare. Overall, it is an enjoyable read and one which will make you think. Thanks to Booksirens for giving me the opportunity to read and voluntarily review this book!
Great review! Thanks for sharing how you could relate to the story personally.