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Trusting the Movement of the Spirit
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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Dorothy’s patients mirror her emotional issues as they draw her into their often-chaotic lives. Thomas Perfect’s impulsiveness and attention-seeking behavior-both symptoms of his bipolar disorder-often prove dangerous as a gay man in 1970s Lansing, Michigan. His flair for drama makes Dorothy laugh as much as his trauma makes her want to cry. Dorothy wrestles with an inexplicable aversion to George who had been remanded to St. Lawrence after pleading Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. Ruth’s post-partum psychiatric break threatens to draw Dorothy in with her, and Marcella, labeled as borderline frustrates Dorothy’s efforts to keep her from self-harm.
As good as Dorothy is at holding and interpreting her patients’ past traumas, she resists looking at her own, causing a strain on her relationship with Kenneth. It seems Dorothy has no problem saving her patients… but can she save herself?
Home for the Bewildered
Home for the Bewildered, by Michelle Tobin, masterfully captures a haunting, tender world set against the backdrop of 1974 Lansing, Michigan. We follow Dr. Dorothy Morrissey, the first female psychologist at St. Lawrence Asylum, as she steps into the lives of her fragile patients—and, unknowingly, deeper into the wounds she’s spent years hiding from herself. Each of her patients reflects a piece of her pain: Thomas, whose reckless charm is both alluring and terrifying; Ruth, drowning in a sea of trauma; and George, whose mere presence brings up a discomfort she can’t quite explain. As Dorothy’s empathy tangles her fate with theirs, it becomes clear that she, too, is desperately in need of healing.
The storytelling here strikes a perfect, almost poetic balance between sorrow and hope. Tobin writes Dorothy’s journey with a raw intimacy that resonates deeply. We witness Dorothy peeling back the layers of her patients’ suffering, only to have those same layers stripped from her own guarded heart. It’s both heavy and heartbreakingly beautiful. I couldn’t help but think of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, as Tobin offers an unflinching portrayal of trauma and the yearning for connection.
The prose feels like open wounds—painful, vivid, and so delicately human. Reading this book isn’t just an experience; it’s a quiet, aching immersion into the need for acceptance and the long, messy road to healing. The narrative unfolds with depth and care evident in every well-researched plot detail and character arc. Each character is beautifully constructed, with stories that deserve to be felt, not just read.
Despite dealing with heavy, sensitive topics, mental illness, grief, and the stigmas of the past, including homosexuality, Tobin handles it all with a gentle, respectful touch. The result is a kind of immersive tenderness, making you ache for characters who often struggle to even root for themselves. Every chapter feels like peeling back layers to reveal what’s hidden, dismissed, or lost, and the effect is spellbinding.
The historical setting is a triumph. Tobin captures the period with such authenticity that I felt transported, as if I were sitting in the cold halls of the asylum or witnessing every tear and triumph alongside the characters. It reads like genuine historical fiction but is alive with emotional depth. There’s a dual-pull here: you want to savor each exquisite line, but the narrative grips you so intensely that you devour it without meaning to. The portrayal of Dorothy, who finds herself in the fractured reflections of her patients, is astonishingly resonant. It beautifully illustrates the reality that even those who dedicate their lives to healing others often find themselves on the brink of breaking. The characters feel alive, layered, and achingly real.
This book is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to live with an open heart and how the concept of family can emerge in the most unlikely places. If you’re drawn to stories that linger with you long after you’ve finished, that mix historical insight with raw, emotional honesty, Home for the Bewildered is a must-read. It will break your heart and, in its own way, try to mend it too.
Pages: 328 | ISBN : 978-3988320773
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