In this poetic memoir, Katherine Lawrence rides the electric charge of childhood innocence to its moment of impact with adult manipulation and betrayal.

Black Umbrella offers a bold portrait of family breakdown through the lens of a child, a teenager, and later as an adult who approaches love with wariness and longing. These poems speak of long-held secrets, the bonds of love, strained loyalties, loss, and the courage required to embrace happiness through the thickening underbrush of adulthood.

A tough and tender collection that contributes to one of the most compelling narratives of the modern age - the contemporary family in transition.