Halfway Heaven

Praise

“A book of rare illuminating depth… As she did with The Dead Girl (one of the best modern books about murder and its underlying effects), Melanie Thernstrom once again demonstrates a great, shattering gift for writing about forgotten people: the dead, those who kill them, the secrets and histories that bind the killer and the killed, and the lives that must survive beyond such intolerable losses.”—Mikal Gilmore, author of Shot in the Heart

“Compelling… eloquent… fortunately, Thernstrom was ultimately tough enough to ask all the right questions.”—Newsweek

“A gracefully written and moving book that combines first rate journalism, well-informed clinical discussion and a brief meditation on the nature of evil.”–The Wall Street Journal

“Part mystery, part expose, Thernstrom’s gripping account of a murder/suicide at Harvard combines fascinating case material with great seriousness of purpose… a cautionary tale of alienation’s destructive power—even among the most talented.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A complex and mature work of true crime.”—Publishers Weekly

“More than juicy. It is a surprisingly moving and powerful investigation of the nearly unimaginable loneliness of an outsider at Harvard, written by the ultimate insider… a brave and chilling indictment of Harvard’s reaction to the scandal. A.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Engrossing.”—Glamour

“Casts an unflinching eye on mental health services on American college campuses.”—The Boston Globe

“Remarkably empathetic, well-researched and intelligent.”—Harper’s Bazaar

“Truly haunting, profoundly sad… Gracefully articulates our grief at losing the one who reached out to others, and summons our empathy for the one who tried, and could not.”—Radcliffe Quarterly