(SPOILERS) Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - Review

Book Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

"But the love of sisters needs no words. It does not depend on memories, or mementos, or proof. It runs as deep as a heartbeat. It is as ever present as a pulse."

4.5/5 stars. I love historical novels that teach me about lesser-known parts of history. This was one of those novels. Not only was this book educational, but it was heartbreaking, anger-inducing, and heartwarming all at the same time. It made me feel things deeply. Right from the start, I was invested and just had to keep reading to find out where the story went. It didn't go exactly how I expected, which was great. Although the historical timeline and POV was more engaging to me than the present day, they were both still great. I also loved the author's prose.

I haven't read too many dual time period novels, but I've seen the general complaint that one perspective is usually a lot more interesting than the other. That was partly true with this book. Rill's perspective was so interesting and engaging, keeping me hooked. Then, when it switched to Avery in the present day, I was sometimes a bit bored by all the political drama. It didn't feel as deep or dramatic. Her perspective picked up and was much better in the second half, but I wasn't as invested in her story.

One small reason I wasn't as big a fan of Avery's storyline was because of the romance subplot. They had the trope of someone in an already stable relationship realizing it isn't working because a new guy shows up. I didn't like that. Even though she explained it by saying that they both realized they were better as just friends, I didn't like what seemed like a lack of commitment and loyalty.

Going back to Rill's storyline, all of the adults involved in the Children's Home were truly vile. Miss Tann, Mrs. Murphy, and Mr. Riggs were all awful in different ways. This is a compliment, though, because they were written well. I was supposed to hate them, and I did. Whether it was child abuse and neglect, gaslighting and lying, or being predatory, they all had me fuming internally and feeling so sad for the kids. Good job to the author for making me angry.

The way the two timelines were connected was interesting. I had my predictions early on, but it didn't go the way I expected. Once I realized my prediction was wrong, I wasn't able to figure out how they would be connected, so I enjoyed the reveal at the end.

On a different note, this book had great prose. Things were poetic without being overly flowery, and I loved the detailed descriptions of the different settings. I also loved the character voices. They were very unique and distinct, fitting the completely different characters well.

Content:

Language: God's name taken in vain

Sexual Content: A mention of "women parts", a mention of "pillow talk", a mention of someone "crossing some lines" at work and getting pregnant, implied sexual assault of a child, mentions of kisses that aren't described

Violence: Child abuse and neglect, stillbirths and miscarriages, a semi-detailed risky birth scene, deaths not shown or described

Drugs/alcohol: Characters have alcohol problems, mentions of being able to smell alcohol on their breath