Blackbird follows the fractured, but resilient mind of prized student Gwyneth Avery. Briefly homeless upon a return to her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, she finds herself placed within a local asylum known as Abbot House. Here she leads readers through a disorienting maze of personal trauma, familial roots, and the subconscious. From the harbor town"s harrowing history and the wars of the blonde Martians, to toxic beauty and a yearning for parental love, Gwyneth seeks a balance between her surrounding world and the bizarre, often nightmarish delirium through which she views it.