In the fall of 1916, America prepares for war?but in the isolated community of Tamarack Lake, the focus is on the sick. Wealthy tubercular patients live in private cure cottages, charity patients, mainly immigrants, fill the large public sanatorium. When the well-meaning efforts of one enterprising patient lead instead to a tragic accident and a terrible betrayal, the war comes home, bringing with it a surge of anti-immigrant prejudice. Set in a historical period of great progress in science and medicine, this "majestic, breathtaking, thrilling" (San Diego Union-Tribune) novel brilliantly illuminates the inescapable heartbreak of war.
"Barrett's powers of historical evocation, especially her knowledge of the scientific preoccupations of the time, are impressive."-The New Yorker
"This expertly-paced and thoughtfully-written book is ample testament to [Barrett's] gifts."-Corrie Pikul, Elle
"An evocative panorama of America . . . on the cusp of enormous change."-Newsday