After a Decade of Caring for Crazy and keeping her mother's mental illness a secret from the outside world, twenty-year-old Paolina gets the chance to go to an out-of-state school. Her wish for just one year living free from madness is thwarted as letter after letter from home arrives, constantly reminding her of the life she hoped to leave behind. The voices in her own head don't help, either, whispering words to her in a way she's not sure is normal. Upon returning home, the unexpected death of her father, followed by the shock of her younger sister exploding in a psychotic episode and being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia-some as their mother-plunges Paolina into despair. Struggling to stay sane, nearly losing herself to the darkness, Paolina's sequel to The S Word continues her story of resiliency and triumph in spite of the insanity coded deep in her family's DNA. Book jacket.