A move to Minnesota causes Winnie to see her parents and old and new friends in a new light.
It is 1959 and she and her circle of friends, known as the Starlings, worry about how they’ll communicate. Are there even phones in Minnesota? Winnie’s father assures her that Minnesota is as modern as any other state. Winnie is under strict orders to keep family matters private.
Once in Minnesota she discovers that their new home is on the grounds of a mental institution where her father is to be a doctor. After an initial tour of the facility, Winnie concludes that it is a prison for freaks. The Bridgewater Institute is about a mile from her new school—a mile away and worlds apart.
At school Winnie is ridiculed not only as the new kid, but the girl who is a resident at the local nuthouse. At first, the only thing Winnie thinks about is how to get back to her friends and her “real” life in Chicago, but eventually she is swept up by people and events that cause her to question her former life and to then see everything—her parents, the Starlings, her new friends, and herself in a new light.
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
It is 1959 and she and her circle of friends, known as the Starlings, worry about how they’ll communicate. Are there even phones in Minnesota? Winnie’s father assures her that Minnesota is as modern as any other state. Winnie is under strict orders to keep family matters private.
Once in Minnesota she discovers that their new home is on the grounds of a mental institution where her father is to be a doctor. After an initial tour of the facility, Winnie concludes that it is a prison for freaks. The Bridgewater Institute is about a mile from her new school—a mile away and worlds apart.
At school Winnie is ridiculed not only as the new kid, but the girl who is a resident at the local nuthouse. At first, the only thing Winnie thinks about is how to get back to her friends and her “real” life in Chicago, but eventually she is swept up by people and events that cause her to question her former life and to then see everything—her parents, the Starlings, her new friends, and herself in a new light.
