A whimsical commemoration of a unique father-daughter bond

Laura Hall's "Affliction" is a beautiful paradox. It explores the traumatic subject of sociopolitical oppression and the LGBTQ closet, yet it does so through whimsical, playful, joyful descriptions of a unique father-daughter bond. Reading her memories creates a happy buzz in your body while vicariously experienced Laura's unwavering adoration for her father across their many poignant interactions throughout the decades. Yet this buzz exists alongside a fog of confusion and pain, as Laura vividly describes her suffering in trying to piece together the uncertainties, absences, and mysteries of her father's closeted life (and its impact on her own life). Through artful vulnerability, Laura manages to interweave a story of deep sociopolitical trauma alongside profoundly joyful father-daughter love. Accordingly, this book is as much a loving memorial as it is a necessary piece of social advocacy which demonstrates the intergenerational impact of LGBTQ oppression upon the children of queer people.