

I am reading her book, I Hear Voices, and am surprised with each page turn. She has made brave choices throughout the book. The one that impressed me most was her decision to begin, rather than end the book, with her brother's death. I can't wait to ask her how she made that choice. Jean tells about her life by recounting the stories of other people close to her.
She is adept at word selection - her opening sentences of each chapter alone are worth the price of the book. She begins chapter two by writing "My mother was a monster who lived well into her nineties." She follows that line with story upon story of a family haunted by generations of dysfunction. Just when you think you can't take any more, Jean adroitly pops in a whimsical little tale of the tightrope walking cat who plunged to his death in a gingham dress and bonnet.
My admiration for her grows with each bit I read.