Neely, 1961 Summary

Neely O'Hara theorizes that Jennifer North, a beautiful actress with no talent, killed herself because she was losing her looks. She comforts herself with the fact that, even if she loses everything else, she can always count on herself and her talent. When Neely loses her voice three weeks later, however, she is hysterical with worry. Psychiatrists and medical doctors tell Neely that her singing troubles are just a matter of nerves, but Neely despairs of her voice ever returning. She tries to kill herself with pills and alcohol, and by slitting her wrists. The blood scares her and she calls for her own ambulance. Anne Welles and Kevin Gillmore visit her at the local, public hospital that admitted her; the doctor there insists that she needs at least a year of residential psychiatric care.

Neely is released to the care of Anne...