The Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Woodruff

Pages: 298

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Medical, Historical Fiction

Review: ebook from Amazon

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Published: Feb. 1, 2022

Amazon

Since her brother took his life after WWI, Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness. Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter—a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment, the lobotomy. Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer. But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania, Ruth can’t ignore her growing suspicions. Robert is operating on patients recklessly, often with horrific results. And a vulnerable young mother, Margaret Baxter, is poised to be his next victim.

Margaret can barely get out of bed, let alone care for her infant. When Dr. Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy, she believes the procedure is her only hope. Only Ruth can save her—and scores of others—from the harrowing consequences of Robert’s ambitions.

Inspired by a shocking chapter in medical history, The Lobotomist’s Wife is a galvanizing novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the best intentions gone horribly awry.

This is one of those books that I kept going back and forth on if I wanted to read it or not. I am glad I did, as it was eye-opening. I have read about lobotomy before, but it was fascinating to get a fictional sense of what would happen if someone kept doing them even if they were not in the right mind to continue doing them. I felt that Ruth was a perfect character in this book. You could tell she loved her patients and wanted what was best for them. I enjoyed watching Robert become unhinged. If that makes sense, it wasn't good. But it showed that this could have happened in real life on how someone would act when they believe they are doing a world of good; they choose not to listen to others or see what is going wrong. I was interested in the ending, though. Edward is a character who plays a big part; in the beginning, we see him come back when Ruth is now finding out the truth behind her husband's practice. He seems to be someone who prefers men's company, but then, in the end, he is living with Ruth and holding hands. I am not sure if that was an oversee or not. Overall I was very invested in the story, and for being a debut novel, it was excellent. I loved that Ruth could entirely save one character because I genuinely believed that I am not sure what would have happened if she hadn't been. 

Samantha Greene Woodruff has a BA in history from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. She spent most of her career telling stories to executives at MTV Networks as the senior vice president of strategy and business development and, subsequently, audience research for the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group. After leaving corporate life, she pursued her varied passions, teaching yoga, cooking, and taking classes at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. It was here that she combined her multifaceted background with her wild imagination and passion for history, reading, and writing. The Lobotomist’s Wife is her first historical fiction novel, and she is already at work on her next book. Sam lives in southern Connecticut with her husband, two children, and two dogs.