I enjoyed this but, unlike The Governess Affair, I think it suffered from being a novella rather than a novel. I found Jonas a very interesting and appealing character whose abrasiveness was well justified in text and didn't detract from his ultimately progressive, forward thinking and kind nature. I also thought his relationship with his father was quite poignant. I love me some old timey medical discussions and sociological commentary and again Milan delivers here. I really enjoyed many of the individual scenes in this novella a great deal because of how well Milan writes. 
 Lydia's personal character arc was interesting but some elements of the courtship of Lydia and Jonas were really odd despite them being good characters as individuals. Bizarrely, Lydia is constantly cited as a chipper, optimistic, naively cheery character and we the audience don't see that in this volume. I don't have a problem with that per se. I don't need characters to be all sweetness and light. I think Lydia's anger and attitude were totally legitimate and her prickliness matched well with Jonas's brusque exterior. However, it was really jarring to be told over and over again "Lydia's public disposition is all sunshine and rainbows" when we don't see evidence of that. Since we never see this supposedly defining aspect of her personality her wager with Jonas (that he can show her scenes of poverty that challenge her relentless optimism in exchange for a kiss) makes no sense. It also makes no sense that Jonas's initial attraction to Lydia is this same oft referenced but textually nonexistent cheeriness. 
 I enjoyed reading Jonas and Lydia's sparring. I thought their verbal repartee was entertaining but what Milan showed us about their relationship through how they interacted seemed quite different from how she told us we should interpret these interactions. I rooted for Jonas and Lydia as a couple but I think these two characters would have benefitted from more time in which to tell their story. 
 I look forward to getting back to novel length work by Milan.