This psychological suspense novel is set in the Traverse City Asylum in 1968, a state hospital which shares the stain of early psychiatric practice. From the pages of the actual hospital newsletter of the time, we are given a window to see what is behind the beautiful facade, the expansive grounds, and the towering spires. Through the everyday experiences of the patients, as well as the roles of the doctors, charge nurses, and attendants, we enter the often shadowy world of the insane asylum.
The novel is written from the perspective of a young mother who is placed in the disturbed ward after a suicide attempt. This ward, reserved for the most severely deranged, is like falling into a snakepit. Over the span of her commitment, a group of five patients provide a lifeline for the shattered woman as she struggles to find the light. As she begins to heal, we finally discover the circumstances leading to her despair. And as she follows her own personal journey through hell, she unintentionally uncovers secrets of the asylum.
Did this really happen? It could have.