Mary Jane Ward

A patient at Juniper Hill, a mental institution, novelist Virginia Cunningham's only ties to the outside world is through her husband. Virginia's unreliable observations of the patients and staff at Juniper Hill reveal the complexity of her mental state.

"Virginia Cunningham appeared to have had an idyllic life -- a nice home, a loving husband and prospects for a writing career. But something just wasn't right. Confusion, doubts about her husband's love, even violent outbursts led Virginia to be confined to a mental institution. She is put through a series of brutal treatments, including being forced into close quarters with patients whose disorders far exceed her own. The belief -- the shock of the...