First published 1998
Katherine Dexter McCormick stands at the bedside of her husband Stanley, heir to the McCormick reaper fortune, watching him retreat further into madness. A scientist and suffragette in her own right, Katherine refuses to accept that Stanley's schizophrenia and violent sexual episodes cannot be treated. She marshals her considerable resources and determination to find psychiatrists who might cure what others consider incurable. The wealthy couple's struggle plays out against the backdrop of early twentieth century America, when mental illness carried devastating social stigma and treatment options remained primitive. Katherine's battle becomes both deeply personal and emblematic of a woman's fight against the medical establishment's limitations. As Stanley's condition worsens, Katherine must confront whether love and science can triumph over the human mind's most destructive forces. The novel explores the collision between wealth and helplessness, scientific progress and human suffering, revealing how even unlimited resources cannot always purchase the healing we most desperately seek.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mental-illness
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, medical-trauma
Setting: America
Period: Early 20th Century
496 pages · Hardcover · The Viking Press
Content warnings: mental-illness