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As a teenager, Colleen is sent to a sanitarium to receive treatment for tuberculosis. In this world away from her family, school, and friends, she forms new relationships, confronts challenging social issues, and seeks hope in the midst of suffering. Set during the post-World War II era of the late 1940s, the novel chronicles Colleen and the other patients she befriends as they undergo intense treatments and therapies to try to increase their chances of survival. They also form a unique bond with each other as they grapple with the impact of TB on their bodies and on their lives, lives which are essentially placed on hold, suspended in a desperate pause of rest and recovery.
Colleen learns much about life and death while in the sanitarium. Her encounters with a menacing handyman on staff open her eyes to racism and hate, while beautiful conversations with patients are rich with insights about religion, war, music, and philosophy. But the specter of death hovers over every page, even as the world of the sanitarium brims with hope and recovery.
Keenly observed, this immersive novel of historical fiction is filled with authentic details of the time and offers a fascinating look at life in a TB sanitarium and the remarkable people in the throes of a health crisis. Colleen is a compelling character who connects quickly to the other patients and engages fully in her experience. At times heartbreaking and uplifting, this is a vivid story of ill-fated characters clinging to the hope of treatment and carving out a life in a unique place. Hurst’s novel is also a coming-of-age story as Colleen finds her way in her unusual and challenging circumstances to find friendships and love. Her story tracks her life into her young adulthood and eventual marriage and is rendered with grace and precision.