For most of his twenty-three years, Neil Kapoor has been desperate to move beyond the shadow of his mother’s schizophrenia. Once he enters drama school, he finally has the chance to find his place in the world. Surrounded by a group of students who, like him, have complex emotional needs, Neil falls in love with Emily, a lovely young woman dealing with her own demons.

But keeping two worlds hidden from each other proves to be too great a task for the emotionally fragile Neil. After his mother experiences yet another breakdown, he must confront the painful reality of how his father, his aunt, and the doctors have dealt with her illness over the years, each in their own flawed way. And as his beloved mother falls farther into darkness, he will have to make the most difficult choice of his life: uniting with his family, or breaking free from them forever.

Revised edition: This edition of The Isolation Door includes editorial revisions.