First of all, that quote is my new life motto.
Second, Mindy McGinnis has written another great YA novel. This one is far different from the survivalist Not a Drop to Drink. It’s set in 1890 at an insane asylum in Boston. Grace was committed by her father for getting pregnant. She doesn’t speak or react at all to the cruel nurse and awful treatments. Her desire is to have the baby and just fade away.
Even after being thrown in the damp, dirty cellar after losing her baby, Grace doesn’t die. She befriends a patient called Falsteed who introduces her to Dr. Thornhollow. Thornhollow performs lobotomies on unruly patients. Grace begs him to lobotomize her, but he refuses. Instead, they conspire to smuggle her out of the asylum. Long story short, they move to a new asylum in Ohio and start to solve murders together.
The book had a lot of difficult moments, especially at the beginning. The asylum, the nurse, the treatments, and losing the baby were hard to read. Then there is the secret behind Grace’s pregnancy and home life, which is just horrendous.
It was interesting, but also scary, how the women in the book ended up in the asylum. Grace’s case was obvious and unfortunate. Her friend in Boston, Mrs. Clay, was committed by her husband. He ended up with all her land and money, then married a younger woman. In Ohio, Nelly had syphilis. Elizabeth spoke to an invisible string. There was an amusing woman in Boston who was committed for believing that her menstrual blood was the devil, though she said her period just hurt like the devil. There was also a less amusing woman who thought her blood was made of spiders. She was less/not at all amusing because she mostly screamed and fought, so they gave her a lobotomy.
You can read my full review here.
