About the Book

A MEMOIR THAT STUNS WITH ITS HONESTY.
Sumitra watches as a priest chants the final mantras over her father s body. Her mother slips away unnoticed, climbs to the terrace and jumps to her death. In a single, shattering moment, the little girl s world is irrevocably altered, creating a fracture that runs through generations.
Years later, Sumitra s youngest daughter watches in horror as her mother swings between mania and depression, wrenching taps from the wall, running half-naked through the streets and trying to hang herself from the fan. Shubha believes she might have escaped the family s inheritance until she discovers she hasn t.
Traitor in the House is a searing account of growing up in a family shaped by bipolar disorder, and also of what it means to inherit not just a condition, but a way of seeing and surviving the world. Unflinching and honest, the memoir traces Shubha s journey through childhood, caregiving, denial, diagnosis and understanding. But this is not only a story of hardship; it is a story of triumph.

About the Author

Shubha Menon worked for some of the biggest advertising companies in India before publishing her novel, The Second Coming, followed by a work of narrative non-fiction, Resilience: Stories of Muslim Women. Her ongoing interest is mental health awareness, and she has anchored a television show as well as scores of panel discussions on the subject. She is a certified peer support specialist trained by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), USA, and has completed the Basic Counselling Course from Sanjivini Society for Mental Health. She is also a founding member of Sunny Side Up, a bipolar support group.