A terrible act -- Voices -- My mother's legacies -- Up and down -- Freefall -- Stories about the nut house -- Marriage and motherhood -- California -- In the lunatic factory -- The door -- Never be a suicide -- A cool distance -- Pretty red stripes -- Round two -- The door, part 2 -- In the land of the bed -- Contours and excavations -- A new voice -- Gifts of love -- Sailing free -- The women of my life -- Lucky loves -- Hope.
Summary
Reveals how, as the daughter of the poet Anne Sexton, the author comes to deal with her mother's life and suicide, and with the support of her family, therapy, and medication, is able to control her biploar disorder and her own suicidal tendencies.