Care for the Mentally Disabled

The central case in the novel ultimately revolves around multiple ethical cases of how to best care for the mentally disabled, depicting a world of borderline-barbaric practices in the mid-20th-century that still have major repercussions into the 21st century. As Louise and Eik attempt to figure out the identity of the woman who had died at Avsnø Lake, their case quickly centers around the long-standing Danish institution Eliselund, which has cared for mentally disabled patients for several decades. As they eventually discover the identity of Lise and Mette Andersen, who had been at the institution for most of the 1960s and 1970s, before their mysterious disappearance in 1980, every detail that they discover about the twin girls’ lives reveals that, at that time, they were effectively kept in prison-like circumstances. For example, as Louise investigates at the institution, an irritated staff member...