Parents are our anchors. They raise us, imbue us with values and traits, ready us for adulthood.

So what happens if a person loses those anchors and is left afloat?

Such is the story behind Claire Bidwell Smith’s heart-wrenching, honest book, The Rules of Inheritance, which debuted yesterday.

At 14, she learns both of her parents have cancer. At 18, she loses her mother; her father follows when she is 25. Left alone in the world, Smith battles demons (alcohol, depression) that take her on a search for who she is, what she wants, and what it means to be loved. You’ll cry your eyes out, but Smith’s intelligence and strength keep you from giving up hope.

If you’ve lost someone close, you’ll feel a kinship with the author.

If not, it’ll give insight into not just the despair that comes with loss, but the possibilities as well.

Available online at amazon.com, $16.

Photo: Courtesy of Hudson Street Press