The Illness Lesson A Novel
The Illness Lesson A Novel by Clare Beams, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on March 9, 2021, is a work of historical fiction that explores the complexities of women’s education in nineteenth-century New England. The narrative centers on Caroline, who grapples with her unconventional upbringing and the societal expectations placed upon her. As she and her father, Samuel Hood, establish a school for young women, unsettling events unfold when a mysterious flock of red birds arrives, coinciding with the students exhibiting alarming symptoms.
Readers will find a thought-provoking examination of the intersection between education and gender, as Caroline confronts the limitations imposed by the men in her life. The story delves into themes of autonomy and the struggle against societal norms, as Caroline’s determination to protect her students leads her to challenge the established order. With 288 pages, this edition invites readers to reflect on the historical context while drawing eerie parallels to contemporary issues.
Official synopsis Publisher
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • FINALIST FOR THE 2023 JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE • From the author of the award-winning debut story collection We Show What We Have Learned, an “atoundingly original” (The New York Times Book Review) work of historical fiction with shocking and eerie connections to our own time.
At their newly founded school, Samuel Hood and his daughter, Caroline, promise a groundbreaking education for young women. But Caroline has grave misgivings. After all, her own unconventional education has left her unmarriageable and isolated, unsuited to the narrow roles afforded women in nineteenth-century New England.
When a mysterious flock of red birds descends on the town, Caroline alone seems to find them unsettling. But it’s not long before the assembled students begin to manifest bizarre symptoms: rashes, seizures, headaches, verbal tics, night wanderings. One by one, they sicken. Fearing ruin for the school, Samuel overrules Caroline’s pleas to inform the girls’ parents and turns instead to a noted physician, a man whose sinister ministrations—based on a shocking historic treatment—horrify Caroline. As the men around her continue to dictate, disastrously, all terms of the girls’ experience, Caroline’s own body begins to betray her. To save herself and her young charges, she will have to defy every rule that has governed her life, her mind, her body, and her world.
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