The title refers to Jane's episodes of severe mental breakdown as witnessed by her two younger sisters. Fifty pages in, readers will already be thinking, "Oh I have to show this to XYZ," because almost everyone has loved ones affected by a family member's mental illness. The authors feel the guilt, worry, and wear of abuse as they deal with their unpredictable, and sometimes violent, older sibling. The authors describe their difficulties, not just in dealing with Jane, but in coming to terms with their feelings about her. As Taylor tells Hanes, "She has taken us to hell and back and I can't seem to get past it.”
The two most common dilemmas the sisters detail in this dual memoir are setting boundaries for self-preservation without guilt and understanding how best to help Jane. As Taylor puts it, "I was not informed of what behavior to expect or how to deal with Jane. I did not know Jane's hallucinations were real to her." Taylor and Hanes bravely tell readers what they have been through and how they felt about each incident with their sibling. Their candid style is invaluable as there is little professional help available for those who want to help without enabling or allowing abuse. "You need to be at peace. Cut off all communication with her...," one doctor advises Taylor. He explains that with Taylor's own heart issues to deal with, and considering everything, "You are not equipped to deal with her."
Taylor and Hanes are direct, detailed, and painstakingly honest—requirements for any interesting autobiography. What is most obvious from the sisters' memoir is that there are no easy answers for dealing with mentally imbalanced loved ones. Still, this sometimes painful retelling of the family's struggles is a gift to society because it sheds light on a subject not often discussed.