by Paul Monette
First published 1975
A carpenter plies his trade inside the confines of an asylum, his daily work bringing him into contact with the patients and staff who populate this isolated world. The rhythms of construction and repair provide structure to days that might otherwise blur together in the institutional routine. Through his interactions with those around him, the carpenter becomes witness to the complex dynamics of a place designed to contain and treat mental illness. His position as both insider and outsider allows him to observe the humanity that persists despite the clinical environment. The work explores the connections that form between people thrown together by circumstance, and the ways in which purpose and meaning emerge even in the most constrained settings. At its heart, this is a story about finding one's place within a community defined by its separation from the outside world.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider-perspective
Setting: Asylum
Period: 20th-Century
63 pages · Library Binding · Little, Brown
Content warnings: mental-illness