From Scarsdale is an evocative and lyrical memoir of a haunted childhood in Scarsdale Newampamp10York.ampamp10With a cancer diagnosis in his early forties the author is compelled to revisit and resolve the mystery of his familys sadness. The fourth of six children in an IrishAmerican household distinctly outofplace in this affluent suburb of New York City Oampamp8217Brien grows up in a claustrophobic milieu of secrecy lies and mental illness. The turning point in his maturation is an older brotherampamp8217s attempted suicide an event he witnesses firsthand.ampamp10From Scarsdale traces with sensitivity the complex histories and dynamics that lead to this trauma as Oampamp8217Brien investigates the psychologies of his parents themselves the survivors of painful childhoods in Scarsdale.