Better is a gutsy, riveting memoir that intimately explores suicide, its legacy in families, and the often cyclical, crooked path of recovery. Arianna Rebolini delves into the profound questions surrounding the choice of death by one's own hands and the struggle to understand the desire to die.

After a decade of therapy and overcoming suicidal depression, Arianna was "better." Her life was seemingly on track with the publication of her first book, a fulfilling job, and the joy of motherhood. Yet, the dark pull of suicide lingered. In a poignant moment, as her young son played, she found herself contemplating the end of her life.

The narrative weaves through Arianna's month-long crisis as a new mother with decades of family history. From her childhood cries for help to the fear of passing the shadow of suicide to her son, Arianna seeks to understand the mechanisms of suicidality. Her journey includes an exploration of the writings of famous individuals who took their own lives, as she searches for insights into the fateful moment of committing to the act of suicide—or the harrowing realization that it cannot be undone.

When her brother faces a similar battle, Arianna confronts the limits of her insights into depression's grip. Better is a harrowing intellectual and emotional odyssey marked by clarity and compassion, a tour through the seductive darkness of death, and a life-affirming testament to the quest for getting better for good.