Reviewed by Anouschka van Leeuwen

This book tells the story of Kaylie Jones, daughter of writer James Jones (most famous for the book From Here to Eternity). Growing up amidst a flock of well known people (among whom was Frank Sinatra), Kaylie is struggling with her parents’ drinking problems, and later on, her father’s death and the problematic relationship with her mother.

The title of this biography is explained by both the structure and the contents of the book. Each chapter starts off with an anecdote about Kaylie’s mother, which is in places quite ridiculous and makes you wonder whether this particular woman was in her right mind. Next to that, during the whole book, Kaylie’s attempts to get along with her mother take a central place in the story.

The life that is described in this book is pretty wild and absurd – it seems Kaylie’s life as a child was filled with drinking grown-ups, while her life as an adult was filled with overcoming her own drinking problem. This description may sound like a tear-jerker, but strangely enough, I was not once moved by Kaylie’s story. Maybe this is because of the way the story is told: it is not chronological, and in each chapter, some mysterious person pops up that Kaylie describes as being very important to her, but then in the rest of the book, those people are nowhere to be seen again.

In short, I never really delved into the story. Although a biography may not have to be ‘gripping’ like a fictional story, it does not have to be chaotic either. This book certainly is chaotic. On a positive note, fans of James Jones may like this book, because they get a nice view into his life as well. Otherwise, I would not recommend it.

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