In Home for the Bewildered, a female psychologist opens old wounds when she recognizes her pain in that of her patients. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?  

My work as a therapist was the inspiration for Home for the Bewildered. Over the years, I have been amazed how my clients and I can be dealing with the same issues. I could have a bout of anxiety then hear about anxiety all day. I would have a dream that led to reflection of an issue and then someone would show up and talk about the same thing. I’d go for a swim and a person’s name would float to the service and sure enough I’d hear from them, so I believe in paying attention and trusting the movement of the spirit (or intuition) in my life. The inspiration for the setup of the story was to convey that all people are interesting even those in the most hidden or unknown places. We have such an unhealthy fascination with celebrity in our culture—only some are considered important or of value. I wanted to give voice to the unheard, uncounted, “unimportant,” people. We all have a story to tell. I like to say that every story is unique, every theme is universal.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

Home for the Bewildered would not have happened but for the suffering in my own iife. I picked 1974 before I researched it’s significance politically and socially because that was the year my brother died in a plane crash the night before Thanksgiving e.g, Thomas gets beat up multiple times on the night before Thanksgiving. Every character has a little piece of me in them. When I work with people I always try to find common ground and I did the same with Dorothy and her characters. And by the way, my mother’s name is Dorothy. She was a smart woman who was denied education but never lost her love of learning.

What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Dr. Dorothy Morrissey?

One pivotal moment that best defines Dorothy is when she says to George, “if your life can be ruined suddenly, why can’t it also be saved suddenly?” Dorothy was a purveyor of hope even when she felt hopeless.

What were some themes you felt important to address in Home for the Bewildered? 

I believe, Home for the Bewildered is an antidote to the times we are living in right now. We need a lot more empathy in our culture. Every person has value. Every person has a unique story to tell that is worth hearing. Everyone wants to be heard. I was raised as a social justice Catholic. I’m dismayed social justice has been lost in the cultural narrative. This week in 1974 was the first time women could get a credit card or sign a mortgage without a man. And here we are again fighting the same fight. Home for the Bewildered is needed now more than ever. If every person especially those in power would reflect on their own suffering, take responsibility to get help when needed, and transform their pain into helping others, we’d be living in a much kinder world.

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