The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone

Griffin, Adele. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone. 2014. 256p. ISBN 978-1-61695-361-4. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Addison Stone was one of the most brilliant artist of her generation. Blazing a light through the art world, she exploded on the scene after her junior year of high school and moved to New York City, where she ultimately died in an accident unfurling artwork high above a bridge. Told by the people who knew Addison, as well as from her own words collected through interviews, the reader explores the tormented life of someone who clearly suffered from schizophrenia. We read about her rebel life and her unwillingness to bend to the rules. Her parents struggle through their marriage, and her brother, who loved her very much, tries to help. The only time Addison feels like herself is when she is working on her art.

Discovered by her art teacher in high school, she enters and wins prestigious state and national awards, and signs up with an unscrupulous art dealer. With more money than she knows what to do with, she moves to New York City where she encounters rich Zach, the son of one of her art dealer’s wealthier client, and they madly fall in love. The relationship strains, however, and Addison jettisons Zach for Lincoln, a fellow artist. Zach can’t let go, however, and he begins plaguing Addison’s life. She returns the favor by burning down his cottage in the Hamptons.

As her life struggles escalate, Addison sinks even further into mental illness, and Lincoln finds himself unable to help her. Addison is just too much, even for the people who love her. A rebel to the end, we will never know what she could have accomplished. Was her death a preventable accident, or was it murder? Neither Zach nor Lincoln are speaking, but after reading through countless interviews and careful documentation, the reader can only reach one conclusion ...