Lila, my sweet, smart, and sassy tween, you have been so curious about my writing from the beginning. I’ll never forget listening to you at nine years old tell your friends, “My mom is writing a book about lobotomy.” And now it’s on your Goodreads list. Alex, my baby boy, thank you for being so excited about every step of my progress. The happy dance you did when I found out I was “going to be a published author!” will be one of the greatest memories of my life.
My mom, a true parent of the ’70s who read me Girls Can Do Anything at bedtime. You have always been my biggest supporter and sounding board. You jumped into the world of The Lobotomist’s Wife with two feet, and your thoughtful insights （and clinical expertise） made everything in it richer. Thank you for reminding me that writing this book was my job, even if I wasn’t getting paid for it, for being there to help in any way I needed, and, especially, for being such a terrific role model of independence and determination.
And finally, to my husband, Jack, who knew that writing this story would bring me immense joy, possibly before I did. Thank you for pushing me to prioritize my writing and supporting everything I needed to do to make that happen—even during a pandemic, with two school-aged kids at home. I love you.
BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
The Lobotomist's Wife is inspired by the real story of a doctor whose passion turns to deadly obsession. Can you think of other similar moments in history when science and medicine have crossed the line of ethics and morality in the name of progress?
The novel explores how ego can distort best intentions into horrifying results, with broad-reaching consequences. Do you believe Robert did indeed have the best intentions? Can you pinpoint a scene or series of scenes in the book where his character began to deviate from the initial plan?
The book takes place between the 1930s and 1950s in New York at a time when the medical community endorsed lobotomy as a “miracle cure.” By the early 1940s, it was in broad use for extreme psychosis. How does the author convey mental health treatment in the era, and does it help explain why lobotomy was embraced by the medical community? Do you have a sense of whether the author remained true to the events and social structures of the time period?
Throughout the beginning of this novel, lobotomy is depicted as an innovative and revolutionary solution to what was believed to be insanity. Compare and contrast this depiction of lobotomy to other titles that also reference it, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Is this a time period you knew a lot about before you read this book? If so, did you learn anything new? If not, did you come away with a greater understanding of what this particular time and place in history, especially for women, was actually like?
Ruth mourns her beloved brother, Harry, and his suicide played a significant role in her decision to devote her life to caring for the mentally ill. Do you think Ruth is trying to compensate for not being able to save her brother?
Ruth falls for the brash and innovative neurologist Robert and his perceived compassion for his patients. Is she too readily accepting of his self-proclaimed cure for insanity and radical new treatment?
How did the blended genre of historical fiction and suspense/thriller impact your reading experience? Did you have a sense of foreboding because of the knowledge we have today of the harmfulness of lobotomy?
Ruth is torn between her role as supportive wife and caretaker and administrator of the hospital. Both identities are at war throughout this book. When was the turning point for Ruth to accept that her role as a supportive wife shouldn’t be the reason her patients are mistreated? Do you think it should have happened sooner?
The novel keenly depicts postpartum depression in the character Margaret Baxter. As a young housewife humiliated by her inability to be a “proper” wife and mother, she’s desperate for a cure for her “baby blues.” Describe how mental illness awareness has changed over the course of time and how it hasn’t.
Margaret believes lobotomy will “fix” her. Does this desire to find a quick fix for the woes of being a housewife and mother have any parallels in today’s world?