Life is often stranger than fiction
How is life style in those places?
It had been awhile since I read Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, twice I believe on publication, and it is a memoir that I will always remember. At times, I send it to others. So the other day I was surprised when a friend brought this book up and asked if I had heard of it. She has little time to read because of her schedule, and we rarely if ever discuss her childhood. When we first met more than three decades ago, she alluded to it once, and in little detail. We have a tacit understanding that it is a mute subject and here I will just relay that her story of early years has strong winds of war and elements of survival to be found within; an only child, she seldom revisits the past. Pragmatic by nature, she is solid, steadfast and honest, and although their circumstances are different, she told me that she was to relate to Jeannette Wallis, and some of the feelings the author felt at the time as a child growing up on unsteady grounds.Although a clear and remarkably crafted family portrait, Glass Castle is open to interpretation and some readers are going to feel that it is closer to the bone than others. Others are going to shake their heads in disbelief with some reason. A story of a lost childhood? A mistrust engendered at an early age towards one's parents and adults around one? It is going to depend on each and every person, regardless of whether they have siblings, or not in this story, which falls into the category of non-fiction and reads like a novel.From the early beginning of the author's narrative, you find her at the age of three boiling some hot dogs, standing on a step-stool over the oven range while her mother is happily drawing and singing in the next room. It does not take long for her little girl's frock to catch on fire. Some of the readers' hair may also go up metaphorically in flames at the same time, and these memoirs of Walls begin at a fast clip.Jeannette's father is the definition of a free-spirit; an irresponsible one at that, an actor and gambler of life on all fronts. Both parents are a match of a kind because they appear to feel best when taking chances and living dangerously while traveling together on life's journey. Such individuals are to be found among us in all social circles, and there can be hard and even tragic consequences for the children of these parents from the time of their birth, and later in life. Perhaps, you have met with some of these individuals, and they are friends of yours today.All to say, many readers may find themselves on edge and anxious for the next three hundred pages or so. The most worrisome part for this one, and when the red alarm bells went off at high pitch, was when Jeannette and her siblings are left by in the care of their frightening relative Erma by their adventurous parents, with no specific mention of their return. The Ermas of this world also exist in all different shapes and sizes. Bad news all around.In summary, much has been said about Glass Castle, and in all likelihood, more remains to be said of this remarkable book. Among her many assets, Jeannette Walls in her account meets the definition of a 'wise soul on young shoulders', and if some of her detractors feel that her 'Voice' is lacking in emotion, it is difficult for them to call her a whiner, sad mop or ingrate under the circumstances. These words are often recurring terms for authors of these young memoirs, when at a much later age and stage in life, they are simply writing about the complex and painful truth in these family matters.With appreciation to Jeannette Wallis for recounting her own story so well; a most difficult one to write and relay to others, but she did it and very finely indeed. It may be helpful to others who have yet to come to terms with their own childhood, and some of us with valid reason may feel grateful for this. As for my friend who recently read this, she added: 'It certainly confirms that Life is often stranger than fiction', and I have every reason to believe that she would know about this.  She is not one to embellish her stories. 