Not My Father's Son

Actor Alan Cummings, star of rage, film, and television (he's currently on the series "The Good Wife") wastes no time setting the tone for his memoir "Not My Father's Son." The opening pages depict the home life of a youth whose erratic, abusive father dominated and terrorized his family. If you come from a similar background, brace yourself. Even if you don't, be forewarned that this account will arouse rage and anxiety.

In 2010, Cummings took part in a reality program called "Who Do You Think You Are?" The show investigated the lineages and family secrets of various celebrities. Cummings thought he was about to pierce the shroud of mystery surrounding his maternal grandfather, who died in Malaysia in a vague "shooting accident." But before he went in front of the cameras, his estranged father contacted him with an even bigger bombshell: According to the elder Cummings, Alan was not his biological son.

The memoir is built around flashbacks, accounts of the life of Cummings' grandfather, Thomas Darling, and wry meditations on the actor's own life and career. Cummings shares some astonishingly intimate moments and memories; his writing style is straightforward and uncluttered, though the book's structure is sometimes a little rough, with the occasional too-abrupt transition. Still, his ability to take the reader with him into his thoughts and recollections packs some real power, and as Cummings navigates his way through two layers of family secrets, finally arriving at the truth in each instance, he encounters plenty of surprises along the way. (That's saying something, considering Cummings' reflection, early on, that his family life resembles an episode of the prime time soap "Dallas." He's not kidding.)

This memoir would feel a little soggy except for the bright bits of humor Cummings scatters throughout. All in all, this is a slender book with a fat tome's worth of suffering, struggle, doubt, and triumph; had someone not already famous written it, this memoir would have needed more length, depth, and complexity, perhaps to an inflated degree. Luckily, that's not the case. As it is, this straightforward tale qualifies as a fascinating peek behind the public facade of an openly gay celebrity known the world over.

"Not My Father's Son"
Hardcover / Memoir
$26.99
http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062225061/not-my-fathers-son