Marlaina Donato

Hollow Bread: a Memoir Marlaina Donato

From a distance, 16 year old Molly Dorman* and her family do a good job of convincing those in their world that all is fine, thank you very much. They go to church, live in a house brimming with art, and appreciate their humble life on the fringe of wealthy people who employ Molly's parents. But sometimes Hell wears a beautiful mask. After experiencing unresolved bullying in high school, Molly is an over-achieving drop-out who holds up the house while her parents fulfill their responsibilities as caretakers for a demanding, eccentric couple. Hollow Bread** is a fly-on-the-wall perspective of a gifted girl struggling toward identity against a backdrop of alcoholism, verbal abuse, and shattered trust. Fueled by deep love and co-dependency, Molly and her un-conventional mother form a rare bond that takes them to the edge of emotional survival in attempt to spare Molly's father from self-destruction. Peppered with ready humor and complex characters, her story is told with scalding honesty and complicated beauty. Against all odds, Molly Dorman grows into a woman willing to reconcile her dark past and come to the profound realization that love for ourselves just may conquer all. *For reasons of privacy, names and locations have been changed **previously released as Prima Donna Sunshine