Tom Gallo knew that he loved Jenny by their second date. Now, after twenty-five years of marriage she’s left him for another man. Tom is stunned and confused. He needs to figure out what to do, how to get Jenny back. He’s certain there’s a way to fix things if only he can be left alone to figure it out. For several months Tom grows more and more withdrawn. He’s certain that the answers he’s looking for lie somewhere inside himself, attainable only by intense introspection. Tom’s retreat is constantly being interrupted by his well-meaning kith and kin. In order to get them off his back, he enters an upscale psychiatric facility (a loony bin, a nut farm, a wacko factory) where he can be silent while he searches for a way to get Jenny back and repair his life. The clinic he chooses is a center for well-to-do cuckoo’s, who Tom says have the good manners to go crazy quietly, with less hoop-la. Once there he is free to spend his time carrying on contentious internal conversations with Jenny. In the ensuing months Tom dissects his life, leaving no stone unturned, no problem ignored, no sin undisturbed. The reader learns that early on, long before he met Jenny, Tom was a gifted artist with a promising future, a wunderkind. It turns out that art was Tom’s first love; that he was devoted to it, but something happened, many years ago that was so extreme he chose to ignore his gift for painting, and erase all traces of art from his life. As the story progresses Tom begins to see that his problems with Jenny may have taken root many years before she ever went looking for another man. As Tom’s days become weeks become months in the clinic he examines and analyzes his entire life.
In addition to Tom’s life story we are privy to his observations of the staff and his fellow loons. His activities in the clinic bring to light many stories besides his own. Although he frequently calls the staff to task, he sees the poignancy in the lives of his fellow patients. Tom remains steadfast in his belief that society places far too much importance on shrinkology. In spite of his disdain for psychology it becomes apparent, even to him that his time in this protected healing environment ultimately helps him to find his way home. As a protagonist Tom is stubborn, sarcastic, acerbic, truculent, crest fallen, heartbroken, and more than a little lost.
By the end of the book Tom comes to some useful conclusions about life in general, and his life specifically. He confronts some harsh realities about himself and eventually finds a quiet sense of peace. What’s more He’s rewarded for all his work; his love of art returns. He leaves the clinic with only one resolution, to live the rest of his life as an artist.
Tom wanted a woman he could love above everything, and he found her…………. then she left, and he realized that sometimes when God wants to punish you he answers your prayers. In spite of everything he remains hopeful that somehow, someway, someday, Jenny will return.
