Summary

Nelson thinks about the ability of the mind to compensate for facts in an attempt to understand things (Two Eclipses). Nelson's mother still feels guilt about Jane, dreaming about her sister years later. She became paranoid over the years, barricading her doors and windows when alone at home with her daughters while on a trip to Europe, returning to America only to have the Manson murders over her head (Barricades). As a child, whenever Nelson returned to Michigan with her sister, Emily, they would play with dolls, Nelson taking Tracey, Jane's doll, while Emily would take Stacey, their mother's doll. While living at Palm 31, Nelson told lies, including a dead sister inhabiting her basement and being chased home by a stranger. Jane's journal and diary entries reveal a girl and woman attempting to vent her emotions through writing. Growing up jealous of her...