** spoiler alert ** 
 Figured out the plot pretty early on. Empathetic lady aids homeless girl with baby + pines for the baby she miscarried years earlier due to cervical cancer and never dealt with the stress of it = manic breakdown. 
 Overall I thought first handful of chapters were extremely slow. I was itching to get through them, and I couldn't stand the repetitive nature of some of the passages. It was truly a relief to finish this book.