Submitted by Adrienne Raczki
So engaging and concerning is the first chapter of this novel, readers may find themselves forgetting this novel is Walls' own memoir.
We meet a young Jeanette, at the exact moment she pours a boiling pot of hotdogs onto herself and is rushed to the hospital. We quickly learn of Jeanette's nomadic gypsy parents, Rex and Rose Mary, as they bustle her out of the hospital early to skip town, her dad dodging yet another confrontation.
This family is the poorest of poor, alcoholic; job-hopping Rex drinking the family’s grocery money and artistic, motherhood-indifferent Rose Mary refusing to work, often battling depression.
Walls has risen from her scant upbringing and has bravely told the embarrassing, painful, and raw story of her childhood. A must read!
This novel will make you hurt and sadness for the hungry girl and her siblings, so young to have so many close calls.