A haunting debut novel set in a mid-century mental institution where one resident's hope for escape collides with a system built on cruelty.

How much agency does one truly have against systems designed to negate personhood?

In an isolated institution for so-called mental defectives, Joseph Tanat and his fellow inmates hope and scheme for a return to the outside world. As Joseph awaits his case review and potential release, rivalries are formed as all fight over the memory of a former resident who some say escaped and others say was isolated and horribly disfigured in mysterious circumstances.

Grappling with paranoia and a misguided trust in the institution and its values, Joseph is threatened with becoming both victim and participant in a system built on cruelty. The Hollow of Evening explores how deeply institutions are inscribed on the self, and raises questions about the nature and limits of human agency.