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From one of our most accomplished storytellers comes an extraordinary novel set in a nineteenth-century women's asylum, featuring a terrifying doctor intent on changing the world. Based on authentic historical documents, the narrative follows Dr. Silas Weir, the Father of Gyno-Psychiatry, as he rises from obscurity to national fame. After a humiliating failure, Weir takes a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where he practices unchecked for decades, focusing on women neglected by the state. His grotesque experiments on these women solidify his reputation as a pioneer of surgery. Central to his ambition is Brigit, a young Irish indentured servant who becomes both his primary subject and the catalyst for his downfall. The story is narrated by Weir's eldest son, who rejects his father's brutal legacy. This unique blend of fiction and fact takes readers on a nightmare voyage through the darkest corners of the American psyche, culminating in an unexpected romance. Joyce Carol Oates once again confirms her status as a celebrated American visionary of the imagination, praised for her inventiveness and storytelling prowess.