List of Unspeakable Fears

Essie O’Neill fears cats, electric lights, a silver bell that recalls frightening memories, and a red door from her nightmares. After her mother remarries, Essie leaves a Bronx tenement for North Brother Island in the East River. There, her new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for people with incurable illnesses, including Typhoid Mary, and Essie discovers further reasons for fear.