Borderlines: A Memoir

I have just finished reading this book. It is amazing that a woman as young as Ms. Kraus can have such insight and wisdom about this horrific experience. The incidents of childhood deprivation, sexual and emotional abuse, loss, trauma, unresolved grief and other tragedies of life converge and elicit this dark and almost hopeless memoir. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit that the author was able to extract herself from this emotional vice and proceed to process the experience. Out of it was born a masterpiece. If those suspectible to this seduction can heed her wisdom and are thereby spared an agony beyond comprehension, Ms. Kraus will not have suffered in vain. Many thanks.

This memoir is a page-turner, like the cat-and-mouse of a Hitchcock movie or a murder mystery. I assumed Caroline would survive her convoluted relationship with Jane, but had to keep reading to find out how. The effortless beauty and immediacy of her prose and her subtle psychological insights were compelling. Highly recommended.

A compelling story about going under, struggling to breathe, and finally resurfacing. Who hasn't become untethered, reeled from a devastating loss, endured a toxic relationship? Kraus recounts her own experience with unflinching honesty, but the themes are universal. This is not a "poor me" tale. The author takes full responsibility for her behavior and complicity in the unraveling of her young life. Readers will pick up this memoir and find themselves gliding along a truly literary work. An amazing debut by Kraus.

What makes Kraus' book such an excellent book is it's ability to draw the reader into the familiar (establishment of an exciting relationship), the uncomfortable (the first signs of trouble), the tumultuous (complete chaos when the familiar is not what it appears to be), the struggle (the courage of a person fighting to regain their dignity) and the triumph. When I read this book, I remembered another book of a relationship between two people, one from an upper middle class family, the other a beautiful intriguing young woman who turns out to have serious problems. The other book was Walker's Siren's Dance:These are two excellent books talking about such a relationship. Borderline Personality affects 2% of the population. It affects all of the people who love them. Most people have never heard of this disorder. "Borderlines" by Kraus will go a long way to further expose this condition.Kraus' book is an emotional roller-coaster that nails its subject matter. Well done author.

It is difficult to write a review on a memoir. One can choose to write about the merits of the writing itself; the arc of the "plot"; the "truthfulness" of the memories; the development of the "characters", etc., and while all are vital and necessary, in this review, I will just convey my own observations and reactions, for what its worth. This season I have taken a self-chosen, crash course on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). I am a layman in that my expertise in this topic is purely experiential. In spite of my research into all books relating to BPD, this book actually found me when I was browsing through the new releases at the book store. The title jumped out at me, then the blurbs and dust-jacket synopsis. I immediately purchased it and started reading that day. Interestingly, this is not so much a life-as-case-study as it is a very personal account of the author's relationship with her family and with a woman named "Jane" who exhibits all of the traits of BPD. However, the book avoids any use of clinical jargon. I am an avid reader of the memoir genre, but this book reads differently from many other memoirs in that the author doesn't capitalize on unbelievable events or shocking characteristics of Jane. Kraus does not leave her own narrative to diagnose Jane or speculate what Jane is thinking. This meticulous care to stick to her truth makes this a fascinating tale of the descent a person who becomes invovled with a Borderline (the "non-BP"). This tactic is so refreshing because often the non-BP tends to paint a picture of being a complete victim. Kraus carefully articulates the choices that led her to become emeshed in the relationship, does not defend or deny her own culpability, and takes blame when it comes due. Kraus wisely, and thankfully for the reader, opts for full disclosure. "Borderlines" has much to offer and should ideally reach a wide audience including those not involved with a person having BPD. It offers a universal portrait of the levels of survival to which a person will allow in order to not face loneliness or self-analyzation. It is also a suspenseful page-turner without ever capitalizing on the horrific or grotesque. Kraus poignantly shows how everyday life can sometimes be an acceptance and incorporation of absurd and self-deprecating actions. It is a vital entry into the emerging canon of memoirs, and a welcome addition to the "must-read" list of people affected by someone with BPD.