The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

A young Scottish woman running a vintage clothing shop suddenly discovers she is next of kin to a great aunt she never knew she had. For more than sixty years Esme had been kept in an insane asylum, never acknowledged or spoken of by her family. When the novel's protagonist, Iris, receives notice that she is now in charge of Esme, she is forced to deal with the closing of the asylum and placement of the seventy-year-old woman who is a total stranger to her. Iris, of course, wants to know Esme's story and is shocked to learn of the painful circumstances endured by her grandmother's generation. This novel is a great read.