The Cloud Chamber is one of those books that slowly and secretly sneaks into your soul and pulls you towards it. I wasn't particularly interested at the start, but somehow, something just clicked within me and suddenly I was just...completely addicted to it. Joyce Maynard really worked her magic with this book, throwing some serious issues in our face with lighthearted ways, yet letting us deeply understand the cruelty of society. 
 This book is just sad. Beautifully and tragically sad. It's not the grief of the death of a person, or a loved one with cancer, those books are different. This sadness is the accumulation of the impact of all the family members, realizing that while Dad had tried to kill himself, he too killed his family members. 
 I cried my way through the book, but couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages. It was so emotional and so inspiring. I was angry, then sad, then inspired. Mix of emotions really. 
 I thought it was one of those "Meh. Let's get this over and done with." books, but in fact, you won't be able to put the book down mentally even if you have done so physically. That's what happened to me. The whirl of questions and unspoken thoughts just keep tumbling inside my head even after writing all these. I don't know. The impact after reading this book and digesting it will be everlasting.