Her Again Book Club: Night Watch

About the Event

Her Again Book Club invites you to an exclusive virtual gathering to discuss Jayne Anne Phillips’s new novel “Night Watch,” a mother-daughter story set in a West Virginia mental institution.

When: 5:30 p.m. MST, Tuesday, August 13
Where: Virtual (on Zoom, details will be sent 24-48 hours before the event)

About “Night Watch”

In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.

The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their story: their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.

Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, “Night Watch” is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.

Why You’ll Love This Book Club

Her Again events are 100% welcoming. If you’re a woman or non-binary human over 40 and seeking an authentic community where you can dig into fascinating stories, look no further. Here, you’ll find yourself amongst friends.