Instant New York Times Bestseller!
For fans of The Girls with No Names, The Silent Patient, and Girl, Interrupted, the New York Times bestselling writer of The Orphan Collector blends fact, fiction, and the urban legend of Cropsey in 1970s New York, as unsuitable identities lead to a young woman’s imprisonment at Willowbrook State School, the real state-run institution that Geraldo Rivera would later expose for its horrifying abuses.
An Indie Next Pick | Peruse Book Club Pick | A Room of Your Own Book Club Pick | A Publishers Lunch Buzz Books Selection
Sage Winters all the time knew her sister was once a little different even if they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to each emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—appeared to need more protection from the world.
Six years after Rosemary’s death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage’s stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn’t die. She was once committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until only some days ago, when she went missing.
Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It’s all the time been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to anticipate, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, decided to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined . . .
“A heartbreaking yet insightful read, this novel will open one’s eyes to the evil in this world.” –New York Journal of Books
“Unvarnished, painful and startlingly clear.” – Bookreporter.com
