The Perfect Other

A Memoir of My Sister

By: Kyleigh Leddy

Narrated by: Kyleigh Leddy

All Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister. When Kyleigh was born, they were inseparable; Kait would protect her, include her, cuddle and comfort her, and, to Kyleigh, her big sister was her whole world.

As they grew, however, and as Kait entered adolescence, her personality began to change. She was lashing out emotionally and physically, and losing touch with reality in certain ways. The family struggled to keep this side of Kait private—at school and in her social life, she was still the gorgeous, effervescent life of the party with a modeling career ahead of her and big dreams. But slowly, things began to shatter, and Kyleigh could only watch in horror as her perfect sibling’s world collapsed around her. Kait was institutionalized with what would eventually be diagnosed as schizophrenia, leaving Kyleigh and their mother to handle the burden, shame, and guilt alone.

Then, in January 2014, Kait disappeared. Though they never found her body, security footage showed her making her way onto a big bridge over a river, where it is presumed that she jumped. Kyleigh is left wondering: What could she have done differently? How could this shining light be gone? And how will she find peace without her sister to guide her way there?

Just beautiful!

Beautifully written and read! A heartbreaking and inspirational dedication to her sister! Anyone who has experienced trauma or loss with a family member will be able to relate. This one will stay with me for a while.

Insightful sibling memoir bond

I enjoyed this book. The perspective of sibling relationship is very important when trying to survive and share the story.

Powerful

I really liked this book and would recommend it to everyone. It gets very emotional and has a powerful message throughout. 10/10.

Wanted to Love It

My heart breaks for the author and her family and as a child of a mentally ill parent, I know the incredible toll it takes on your life but this story was just too long. I think it might give some solace to others in similar situations but there were many times where I thought it had ended, and it should of ended but then went on and on without really adding much content. We knew early on that her sister was gone and the possible causes of her illness and we learned about the few really scary moments of her interactions under the weight of the illness but I think I would have liked to know more about Kate, the impact on n her parents marriage, on her friendships, etc. Unfortunately, I also struggled with the authors narration. It was almost too detached. I realize it must have been a very painful story to recount and perhaps should have therefore been left to a third party. Overall, she is not without talent and should continue to write but perhaps learn how to tighten the story up a bit.

Amazing emotional story

Well done, brings light on the topic of mental illness and removing stigma. May your sister always be in your heat, a beautiful tribute to your love.