Jeanette Walls knows what it is like to grow up in a dysfunctional, poor family. In this story, the characters are young girls dealing with a delusional mother. The girls figure out how to take care of themselves. Luckily, they find the support of an uncle. All of the characters were well-developed. Although the story-line was not as strong as in her other books, this book was not a memoir, or based on her life. That may be way it doesn't have the same punch. I enjoyed meeting these characters and spending some time in the small town in this story. I really loved the ending.