NONFICTION - Dec. 11, 1994

THE CRADLE WILL FALL by Carl S. Burak, M.D., J.D. and Michele G. Remington. (Donald Fine: $21.95; 214 pp.) In early April of 1987, Michele Remington, a young mother suffering from severe postpartum depression, shot and killed her 6-week-old son, and then fired again aiming for her own heart. The bullet missed by millimeters and she survived. Remington’s slow recovery, her trial and eventual insights into the murder, form the backbone of “The Cradle Will Fall,” a collaborative effort between Remington and Carl Burak, her psychiatrist.

Depending on one’s need as a reader, this book will either be incredibly moving, or a complete waste of time. In spite of his impressive medical credentials, the hard information Burak provides about depression is sparse at best. Many questions are left unanswered. How long does PPD last? Do women with severe PMS have a greater chance of getting it? Remington became depressed in her third trimester of pregnancy. Should someone in that situation consider going on medication as a prophylactic? What does breast-feeding bring to the equation? If those questions, as well as many others, had been addressed within the framework of Remington’s tragic story, this would be an important book. As it is, “The Cradle Will Fall” is sad and captivating in a daytime talk-show sort of way.