Before We Were Yours: A Novel
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents--but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
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Community Reviews
1939 Rill Foss and her siblings live a wonderful life with their parents on a shanty boat. The river is their home, it's all they've ever known. But when their parents have to go to the hospital due to complications during a birth, the childrens' lives are changed forever. Strangers show up and they are yanked from their home, and what follows is confusion, madness, and abuse. Rill fights hard for her sisters and brother, doing her best to keep them all together, holding onto the promise that they'll be taken to their parents soon. But the dark truth reveals itself before long and they see that their lives will never be the same again.
Modern day Avery Stafford is polished and born into life of privilege. She's living a successful life as a prosecutor in DC. She returns to South Carolina to help her ailing, Senator father. During a political outing, Avery has an encounter that opens a door to questions she'd never thought she'd ask and she's not sure if she even wants the answers. Is there more to her family than what she knows?
Such different stories, but the way the author ties them together is so beautiful. I was touched by Rill's story, and by the people Avery met along the way to get her answers. I had my hunches about what she'd learn, but in the end, I was still somewhat surprised by what she discovered and the people and history that came to light. Perhaps I was too caught up in the moment to see it coming because I'm sure there were enough clues to figure it out.
This type of book isn't something I read on a regular basis, but it is a lovely and touching story and I'm glad I did pick it up.
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