Necessary Lies: A Novel

From the New York Times bestselling author of Big Lies in a Small Town

It is 1960 in North Carolina and the lives of Ivy Hart and Jane Forrester couldn't be more different. Fifteen-year-old Ivy lives with her family as tenants on a small tobacco farm, but when her parents die, Ivy is left to care for her grandmother, older sister, and nephew. As she struggles with her grandmother's aging, her sister's mental illness, and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.

When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County's newest social worker, she is given the task of recommending which of her clients should be sterilized without their knowledge or consent. The state's rationalization is that if her clients are poor, or ill, or deemed in some way "unfit" they should not be allowed to have children. But soon Jane becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her new husband and her supervisors. No one understands why Jane would want to become a caseworker for the Department of Public Health when she could be a housewife and Junior League member. As Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm—secrets much darker than she would have guessed. Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing a life-changing battle.

Necessary Lies is the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy. Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: How can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it's wrong?

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Published Oct 7, 2014

372 pages

Average rating: 8.28

115 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

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K Olson

Jan 14, 2025

8/10 stars

This is the fourth Diane Chamberlain book that I have read and by far the best. As a social worker I was drawn into the ethical dilemmas that face Jane. The book had me thinking about poverty, welfare, and the values we place on being white and wealthy in this country. It was well researched and based on true cases which made it believable. The characters were well written.

Mary Pat Holt

Feb 05, 2026

10/10 stars

I really didn't think I was going to like this book as much as I did. I have read several books by Chamberlain and while they are good, quick reads, they are not exceptional reads for me. This one, Necessary Lies, was different. Have you ever told a lie because you thought it was best to deceive someone instead of telling them the truth? This story is full of secrets that threaten to destroy the very family that is keeping them. Set in 1960 in North Carolina, a young, idealistic woman, Jane, accepts a new job as a social worker. That job quickly presents many challenges. The story was rich in detail from this time period and I think Chamberlain was right on in her descriptions of the time, setting, language & perceptions of the people. How many women even had jobs in 1960? Most were just expected to join the Junior League and go to the club for dinner with her husband. Her own husband didn't even understand why she felt so compelled to work & help others. I found reading about the Eugenics Sterilization Program very interesting. I grew up in a northern state and had never heard of it but it was a very real program from 1929-1975. The whole story could have revolved about this but it did not. It was a good balance between the fictional story and the scary sterilization program.

Tacohen

Nov 01, 2025

10/10 stars

1960 in North Carolina, Ivy Hart, 15 and poor is victimized by the state sponsored eugenics program.

Cobbie

Apr 19, 2025

10/10 stars

This book was amazing. I just love the authors writing style. This book was an emotionally hard read. Especially after just reading The Silent Sister. I was still living in my head with the characters from that book.

This book made me aware of a program right here in the good ole USofA that I had no idea existed. The Eugenics Board of North Carolina gave social workers the power to sterilize human beings. The social workers used their moral values to decide if another human being would or should be able to produce off spring and add to the American human race. This power was given up until 1977!!!!! I can't believe this happened. The scary part is it could so easily happen again. With more people working for the government than any other company. More people have the power to decide what is right and best for America. With our government trying to take us to a government run health care system. I know that most of the people involved with social worker care seriously thought they were helping. I recommend this book to everyone so they can see for themselves how important it is that our government should not have so much power over its people!

Janet H

Mar 26, 2025

8/10 stars

Disturbing tale based on true events in North Carolina in the 1960s. A state sanctioned eugenics program that included compulsory sterilisation. Told through the eyes of a social worker dealing with people in poverty working in the tobacco industry. Definitely worth a read.