As a child in the 1980s, Damien lived an idyllic life as the only son to two highly creative parents. He idolized his larger-than-life father, the unemployed musician. His mother, the artist, painted the neighbor children's portraits and sometimes worked two jobs to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.When Damien's mother asked for a divorce, his father initiated a long journey of vengeance with Damien at the center, weaponizing the boy against his own mother. Suddenly, nothing was sacred. As the structure of the family and his father's mental health crumbled, Damien's idyllic life became seedy and dangerous.His father spiraled out of control and vandalized their house, made Damien steal all his baby pictures, and exposed him to violence, drugs, and dysfunction. Eventually, he brought a new eighteen-year-old girlfriend home, who gave birth to Damien's little sister, Lily. Living in squalor, Damien struggled to emerge with Lily from their dysfunctional father's grasp.And Then I Would Fly is a heartbreaking and lovable memoir masterfully told over several decades, from a chaotic childhood to becoming a father who is still trying to heal himself. Sometimes darkly funny and often gut-wrenching, it is a moving story of an optimistic spirit seeking to thrive against any odds, even when in danger from the people he loves the most.
