Freedom to Meet for the First Time

In 1967, Susanna Kaysen is depressed and directionless after finishing high school. Afterwards, she discusses this with a psychiatrist. She had been having some delusions. She had also been having an affair with the husband of her parents' friend. The doctor suggests that combining a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of vodka was a suicide attempt; she denies it; he recommends a short period of rest at Claymoore a private mental hospital full of noisy, crazy people. Georgina Tuskin is a pathological liar and Susanna's roommate. Polly Clark has been badly scarred by fire. Daisy Randone self-harms and won't eat in the presence of other people. Lisa Rowe is a sociopath, the biggest exasperation for the staff, like Nurse Valerie Owens, and the biggest influence on the other girls in the hospital. Lisa has a history of escapes, so gaining access to personal medical files is not a problem. Susanna's boyfriend Tobias Jacobs is concerned that she seems too comfortable living with her institutionalized friends.