Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-188).

"When Laura Trujillo's mother jumps off a ledge in the Grand Canyon and falls to her death, Laura sets out to discover what drove her mother's actions, and begins to explore the painful secrets they shared. As a young girl, Laura was happy that her mother, divorced and remarried, seemed happy again, and so she hides it when her stepfather begins to abuse her. Now grown up with a family of her own, after her mother dies, Laura goes in search of the truth of her mother's life, and of their mutually protective relationship. Breaking the silence that surrounds the subjects of abuse and suicide, Laura explores her own struggle with loss and the trauma of the sexual assault that marked her youth, and candidly recounts how she came to find understanding and hope again"--,Provided by publisher.