Before We Were Yours

Have I told you lately that I love historical fiction?

I had a hard time getting into Lisa Wingate's latest historical fiction novel, Before We Were Yours. The beginning was not only confusing but it was pretty slow moving. But once I got things figured out and got into the groove, I couldn't wait to see what happens next.

Sometimes historical fiction teaches me about positive time periods, people and places. Other times, like in the case of Before We Were Yours, I get to learn about some really horrific episodes in history. Wingate tells the story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage and the scheme that Georgia Tann, director of the organization, had for what basically amounted to the kidnapping and selling of children. Blonde-haired children with blue eyes were most desired. Georgia Tann was well connected to wealthy families who for one reason or another couldn't have children of their own. Frequently, there was extortion that occurred after children were placed... or sold. The children were taken from hospitals, from the street while walking to school, or simply just when the parents weren't looking. Georgia Tann put on a good public front while running homes where the children were neglected, often abused and some children, far too many children, died.

Avery Stafford, the daughter of a wealthy senator in South Carolina has come home to help her father get through a medical crisis. She has a chance encounter with an older woman when her father was making an appearance at a nursing home. There's just something about the woman that gives Avery pause. When she gets a phone call later that the older woman was found with Avery's bracelet, Avery decides to pick up the bracelet directly from the woman. She discovers that there's some sort of connection between this older woman, May, and her grandmother, Judy.

Wingate alternates the story of the Foss children, told by oldest sibling  Rill with Avery's attempt to discover what the connection is between May and Judy. Avery enlists the help of Trent who also has some sort of connection thru his grandfather, Trent. The strength of the story is in the weaving of the tales. This is a family drama, a love story, a story about secrets and a story about the strength of sisterhood.

My community book club will be discussing Before We Were Yours in August. I hope that I remember enough about it for me to participate meaningfully. I look forward to discussing this one.

April 4: Going thru my iPad looking at pages I captured in order to write my review of The Librarian of Auschwitz and I found this one that I never referenced. This is probably not meaningful to you, but it's meaningful to me, to my brother and to my cousins.

Fern?
I'm sorry?
Fernie, it's me. Tears frame her eyes. Oh dear, I've missed you so. They told me you were gone. I knew you'd never break our promise.
For a second, I want to be Fern, just to make her happy - to give her a respite from standing by herself gazing into the wisteria. She seemed so very lonely out there. Lost.

 When we were younger, my brother and our first cousin went to visit our cousin's grandmother at a nursing home, there was a woman calling out for Rupert. My cousin had stuck his head in the door, thinking his grandmother might be in there. At that time, he so wished that he was Rupert. Years later, he and my brother, instead of addressing each other by name or by cuz, they use Rupert.