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.

As a child growing up in Montreal, Canada, Anish Majumdar’s first creative writing lessons came courtesy of his mother, a former English teacher. Witnessing her struggle with schizophrenia had a profound impact and inspired The Isolation Door, his first novel. His nonfiction work has appeared in many publications, and earned him Independent Press Association Awards for Feature Writing and Investigative Journalism. In addition, his short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He lives with his wife, his son, and a growing menagerie of pets in Rochester, New York.

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“Majumdar entwines elements of experience and perception into fiction both finely textured and eloquently fragmented...The Isolation Door is recommended for its especially appealing narrative voice and cultural contrasts. Fans of Jhumpa Lahiri may enjoy this novel, as may anyone who has experienced the unnerving challenge of coping with the mental illness of a loved one.” —Foreword Reviews

“If you are fond of reading a book which presents characters so real you believe the struggles in the book’s pages to also be real, coupled with a beautiful love story which gives hope to those who struggle in similar ways on life’s journey, then The Isolation Door is for your shelf!” —Found Between the Covers

“It’s been a long time since a book moved me this deeply.” —Literally Jen

“An affecting, empathetic portrayal of a young life forced to cope with the devastation of mental illness in the family. A dark yet empowering read!” —Guiltless Reading

“I didn’t know what to expect when I started The Isolation Door, but what I didn’t expect was to feel the pull of emotion on every single page, as I did while reading it.” —Bound by Words

“A fascinating, heartfelt read.” —The Best Books Ever

“A story that exposes the idea that every person has problems—struggles to sort out and learn from. When do you trust enough to share the truth and what happens when you omit the details?” —Patricia’s Wisdom

“Believable and inspires contemplation.” —Bookish Ardour

“A story about family that will pull you in and keep you thinking about the characters long after the final page.” —WV Stitcher

“A coming-of-age story mingled with mental illness, shame, desires, love, denial, secrets, and loyalty.” —My Bookshelf

“A powerful story with very powerful imagery.” —Svetlana’s Reads and Views

“Accurately portrays life as an adult child of a schizophrenic parent. Honest, realistic books like this will help to continue to reduce the taboo of frank mental health discussions.” —Tiffany’s Bookshelf