Broken Minds

by Jodi McIsaac

In the midst of a global viral outbreak, Christine Campbell reluctantly returns to her hometown to bury her parents and to claim custody of her violent, mentally ill brother. While struggling to come to grips with her parents’ gruesome deaths, Christine is told of a disturbing discovery. Her brother’s damaged brain holds the key to the cure for the virus, leading her to an impossible to save her brother…or to save the world.

Broken Minds was previously published as A Cure for Madness

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2014

About the author

Jodi McIsaac is the author of the Irish contemporary fantasy series The Thin Veil (47North) the thriller A Cure for Madness (Thomas & Mercer) and the Revolutionary series (47North).

She grew up in New Brunswick, on Canada's east coast. After abandoning her Olympic speed skating dream, she wrote speeches for a politician, volunteered in a refugee camp, waited tables in Belfast, and earned a couple of university degrees. When not writing novels, she runs a boutique copywriting agency serving the non-profit sector.

Reviews

[Kira FlowerChild · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this short story hoping to find answers so I wouldn't have to reread the author's novel, A Cure for Madness, which I read in 2018 and therefore have forgotten most of it. This story seems to be basically the rough draft for the novel, since it was published in 2014 and the novel in 2016.

Apparently this author likes ambiguous endings, as she also wrote a non-ending to her short-short story, The Good People, which I read a few days ago. Other than that, this is a reasonably good story. If you don't mind enigmatic endings, you might enjoy both stories and/or the novel.

[Virginia Heslinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tantalizing Sketch

What would you do? This short story, I wish was longer, leaves mind and heart twists on the reader. Families, pandemics, government, self-preservation, responsibilities, and fear trigger the main character's choices and reader's values.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made the mistake of reading this short story on my lunch break and then had to explain to my co-workers why I was a blubbering mess. Powerful, poignant and a little bit chilling. Go read this now.