BookmarkedSara Quin recommends book about horizontal identity

For me I don't have much time to read so when I do it has to be something very special.

—Sara Quin, musician

They've collaborated with hitmaking dance artists, been covered by The White Stripes and toured with Neil Young. Now, Tegan and Sara are on the road, supporting their seventh studio album, Heartthrob.

Since their official bio says they enjoy reading, along with "hair, ships, vampires, hot dogs, talking and relating to elderly people, self-soothing, rearranging furniture, and giving excellent advice," SCENE decided to ask Sara Quin what she reads to pass the time on long, cross-country road trips.



If you could recommend one book, what would it be?
I just finished reading Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon and it really captivated me.  

 
How and when did you come across it?
I read an article about it in the New Yorker when it first came out and immediately picked it up!  
 
What about it resonated with you?
I found it fascinating but I also related to the overarching message of the book. The author speaks about horizontal and vertical identities between parents and children and I was moved by the real life stories deeply.
 
Do you find yourself going back to it?
I find myself referencing it and recommending it daily. It's also made me go back in to the author's previous work and I've now started reading The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.
 
Why would you recommend this book?
For me I don't have much time to read so when I do it has to be something very special. This book was worth every stolen minute in bed, on the subway, on the airplane...I couldn't put it down.
 
Do the books you read inform your songwriting?
I like to think everything I'm reading and learning informs who I am as a person and that in turn influences the perspective from which I write.