They were amazingly raw and heartbreaking. A more complete understanding of his brother s disease added to his personal heartbreak. At the time, he was simply frightening, someone to avoid. However, I began to see how all the things he did many of them criminal made perfect sense to him. Bottoms also read the complete New Testament several times, especially Revelation, for a better grasp of his brother s way of thinking.
Bottoms stresses deliberately the fallibility of memory.
I emphasize it, first, to be honest. This isn t a history or biography with footnotes. It s a portrait of my brother in all his complex terror memory, facts, imagination. Second, it is formally important for the book. I push the limits of memoir, and quite intentionally.