Then There Was No Mountain
is the story of a single mother’s efforts to steer her adolescents clear of substance use. Ironically, trying to manage the turmoil of those years, she comes to the realization that, out of her own inability to effectively deal with the circumstances, she resorts to behaviors associated with substance use disorder—magical thinking, denial, delayed reaction time—only making matters worse for those she most wants to help. Of this cautionary tale for parents,
Publisher’s Weekly
writes, “Waterston bravely revisits a painful period of her life...[H]er book should help others who are blindly navigating  their way back to health and normalcy.” According to the
Oregonian
, “[T]he illuminating force of this book is Waterston’s pacing, her metaphors, and her choreography with the language.”
The
San Jose Mercury News
states, “Full of honesty, heartbreak and revelation.”