Finished Sa 8/11/18
This is one of my old hardback novels that caught my eye. I picked it up for two bucks at the West Branch, and finished it Mo 9/1/97.
The novel was set in a nursing home, Willow Glen, in the rural mid-west in 1988.
A quadriplegic, Steven Solaris is stabbed through the heart with a pair of scissors. He was placed in a mental institution after birth because he was thought to be below an idiot. However, he has an IQ higher than 135. He is universally loved- except by the people that neurotically jealous of him.
Rachel is the murderer. This woman is wheelchair bound- lost both legs to diabetes. Very strong, and filled with hate. She's been in a hateful relationship with her husband. Love can bind us together, but sometimes Hate can bind just as strong, or stronger.
Lieutenant Petri is a young detective from the New York/ New Jersey area. He wants out of the crowded urban space and looks forward to life in a rural area. This is his first murder investigation. During the course of the investigation, he 'remembers' that his mother had sexually abused him as a pre-teen. This is why he was so against Heather. In his mind, her sexual relationship with Steven was a kind of abuse.
Mrs. Simonton- the owner and superintendent of Willow Glen. She's old and savvy, and clashes with Petri, at first.
Dr. Kolnietz- he is the psychiatrist that discovered Stephen. As a student in high school he worked at the institution, Kolnietz learned that Steven was placed in the asylum in error. Stephen was actually a genius and he only needed a way to communicate.
Roberta McAdams- She does the books for the nursing home. Aloof and cold; she is a dominatrix on her 'off time'. She's probably the weakest character, and she really doesn't change.
Heather- the lovable nurse who is first thought to be the killer. She had been having a sexual relationship with Steven. The murder happened quite near the nursing station. Betty, another nurse, was present but deeply involved in a romance novel. Heather had gone for a walk around the building. Kind of odd, since she had never 'walked' around the building before. Odd plot point?
Georgia Bates- the novel opens when her son and daughter-in-law place her back in Willow Glen. Nothing is wrong with Georgia, except that when she lived with her family she was always incontinent. When she was back in the home, this habit disappeared. But, she constantly complained that she was 'forced to be in this concentration camp'.
Mrs. Grochowski- another quadriplegic, and loved by everyone. This woman started out an unhappy 'people-pleaser'. As her multiple sclerosis progressed, she learned acceptance and became almost saintlike and loved by everyone.
Peggy- a nurse who learns to care
Tim O'Hara- a platonic lover of Mrs. Grochowski- almost a storybook romance. He dies of a stroke, but both knew that the next one would be it.
Hank Martin- 'Horny Hank', roams the nursing home trying to grab any female within reach. In the end, he wants to 'court' Mrs. Grochowski after Tim dies.
Peck's philosophy is quite intriguing and the novel expertly blends Christianity and a kind of secular humanism.
The author's page on wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scott_Peck
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