The ultimate tragedy of the novel could not occur without the normal problems of normal people intersecting with Martha's special problems. Together, they form a combustible mixture. Frances' life is disrupted when her longterm paramour's alcoholic wife makes a sudden recovery. Birdy's impressive ability not to see what she does not want to see about her lover is challenged by Martha's intrusions. The fuse for Martha's meltdown is Colin Mackey, a down-and-out writer who needs love and a patron, but not in that order. Any of these three people could prevent the worst from happening. They have the ability to control their actions Martha lacks. But, none of them do. Instead of an emotional rescue, the interactions of the characters lead inexorably to a violent climax.

The only aspect of A Dangerous Woman I find wanting is the back story. I would like to know more about the Horgans, the 'white trash' family Frances left behind in her Cinderella-like transformation. Were there other Horgans who had symptoms similar to Martha's? Did poverty mask autistic syndrome behaviors in a class people expect little of?

I believe we have become too used to perceiving physical and mental illnesses through the lens of 'disorder of the week' movies. Such offerings often strip the conditions of their complexity. Mary McGarry Morris is too fine a writer to reduce a serious illness that prevents most of its sufferers from being able to function in society to pabulum. No one gets off easily, including Martha. The reader spends as much time thinking, 'Oh, God! Don't do that,' about her as he does mumbling, 'poor, poor thing.' Martha's inability to 'see' other people's interests is just as annoying as their casual cruelty to her. Morris has created one of the most frustrating — and memorable — characters in contemporary literature.

Note 1: Doris Lessing's The Fifth Child is another excellent novel about a person with an autistic syndrome disorder.

Note 2: Read more about human rights issues at Silver Rights.