In the summer of 1996 the author’s fifteen year old daughter, Sally, experiences a major psychotic episode and he makes the hard decision to hospitalize her. While Sally is struggling through her psychosis in the hospital her whole family comes together to deal with the questions of why this happened and where to go from here. Just bringing her home is not the end of the line however, as there are still issues with stabilizing drug levels, getting Sally to the point where she can return to school, and the threat of a potential relapse.
This gritty memoir chronicles that single episode from onset to remission and the effect it had not only on Sally but on all those who are close to her. The fact that this is a work of non-fiction brings a real sense of poignancy to the narrative that is usually missing from similar fictional renderings, particularly as Sally begins to emerge from her episode and becomes acutely aware of how her mid-psychosis actions might have been viewed by her friends and neighbors.