Lit in Translation

Night Watch

Night Watch

Jayne Anne Phillips (born 1952)

English editions

Written in English

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ConaLee came into the world in 1861, after her father went off to fight, and has long been the grown-up in her family. In 1874 a veteran who has pushed his way into their lives and calls himself Papa takes the twelve-year-old and her mother, Eliza, who has not said a word for over a year, by buckboard to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia and abandons them there. Far from their mountain home and a beloved neighbor, ConaLee passes herself off as her mother's maid while Eliza slowly responds to the hospital's humane treatment. They are drawn into the asylum's world: a mysterious man called the Night Watch, an orphan known as Weed, the formidable cook and the doctor in charge. Piece by piece their history comes out, including the story of ConaLee's missing father.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form
Novel
Genres
Historical, War, Family (assigned by AI)
Set in
United States, 1860s–1870s
First published
2023
Author's age
71 when first published
ISBN

9780451493330 (Knopf, United States)

9780349727790 (Fleet, United Kingdom)

9780349727813 (Fleet, United Kingdom)

9781101972793 (Vintage, United States)

More
Wikidata