I have read several Lehrer novels. I believe he is a very underated author. All of his novels are very good. Others here have summarized the book. Lehrer does not high brow you, plain simple writing, easy on the reader. He usually has very good historical research interwoven into his novels. You feel good after reading one of his novels. The book is more about friendship and a description about mental hospitals in the 1920's. It is a good read.