Tragedy Plus Time

A Tragi-comic Memoir

By: Adam Cayton-Holland

Narrated by: Adam Cayton-Holland

“Inspiring, tragic, and at times heart-rendingly funny.” —People

Unsentimental, unexpectedly funny, and incredibly honest, Tragedy Plus Time is a love letter to every family that has ever felt messy, complicated, or (even momentarily) magnificent.

Meet the Magnificent Cayton-Hollands, a trio of brilliant, acerbic teenagers from Denver, Colorado, who were going to change the world. Anna, Adam, and Lydia were taught by their father, a civil rights lawyer, and mother, an investigative journalist, to recognize injustice and have their hearts open to the universe—the good, the bad, the heartbreaking (and, inadvertently, the anxiety-inducing and the obsessive-compulsive disorder-fueling).

Adam chose to meet life’s tough breaks and cruel realities with stand-up comedy; his older sister, Anna, chose law; while their youngest sister, Lydia, struggled to find her place in the world. Beautiful and whip-smart, Lydia was witty, extremely sensitive, fiercely stubborn, and always somewhat haunted. She and Adam bonded over comedy from a young age, running skits in their basement and obsessing over episodes of The Simpsons.

When Adam sunk into a deep depression in college, it was Lydia who was able to reach him and pull him out. But years later as Adam’s career takes off, Lydia’s own depression overtakes her, and, though he tries, Adam can’t return the favor. When she takes her own life, the family is devastated, and Adam throws himself into his stand-up, drinking, and rage. He struggles with disturbing memories of Lydia’s death and turns to EMDR therapy to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder when he realizes there’s a difference between losing and losing it.

Adam Cayton-Holland is a tremendously talented writer and comedian, uniquely poised to take readers to the edges of comedy and tragedy, brilliance and madness. Tragedy Plus Time is a revelatory, darkly funny, and poignant tribute to a lost sibling that will have you reaching for the phone to call your brother or sister by the last page.

Amazing!

What an incredible story! I’m so sorry that this has happened to you, but I am so grateful to you for sharing such a personal part of you. I love the closeness you share with your family. I love the way you tell your story. I 100% recommend this book.

A poignant look into the depths of tragedy

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has lost someone in any form.
The author digs deep into his own past and shares a story as heartbreaking as it is hopeful.
A tearjerker on many levels, yet still able to make you smile with his insight.
Don’t hesitate, just buy it

Gripping story of a brother’s love and loss.

Adam does a good job weaving together his comedy career story with that of his brother-sister relationship with Lee (Lydia). It was gripping through the build up of their relationship, what bonded them as children, and what kept them connected as they grew up. The only piece that fell short for me was one of the last chapters where Adam described why the reader would have loved watching Lee drink a coke, be who she was, etc. that’s where the writing style so clearly changed from an “invite in” to a “telling you how you’d think and feel”. I would want to know Lee because of what Adam already shared and his talent in capturing those moments - not because he thinks I’d find her entertaining. Because she was a complicated person, like we all are, not just because he singled out a few random characteristics. I say this as a writer, not to disrespect Adam’s sister. His writing style changed and it felt clumsy - unlike the well oiled machine of the rest of the book. Cheers to Lee, she had a great big brother and family that in the end understood her. That’s what matters.

Powerful.... Just WOW!

I could not stop listening to this book. The powerful truth and feelings are so moving. Having been born and raised in Denver I could really follow the scene created by the author.

Devastating

Adam Clayton-Holland is brilliant! Mental illness, is just that: an illness. It’s not a character flaw as some would conclude. Adam’s poignant account of his grief is raw and real!