Walls lays bare the events that shaped her childhood with 2 eccentric parents - an often inebriated, but otherwise brilliant father and a child-like mother - and 3 siblings that banded together until their lifestyle drove them apart. Each scene is told in a matter-of-fact, no apologies, no pity solicited voice, which drives the reader to a deepening relationship with the famliy. The line between the thrillingly liberitarian parent and the negectful parent is held up to a harsh light and the line is maddeningly crisscrossed throughout this memoir, providing constant tension.
The 2 stand-out lessons are a child can endure amazingly unfair challenges, and even the most irresponsible parents can make up for a lot with honest love.