By Lisa Wingate
I think it is good when an author can make you mad. Lisa Wingate "made me mad."
It wasn't poor writing -- the narrative is vivid.
It wasn't a boring plot -- this is a page-turner.
It wasn't length -- this porridge is "just right."
Before We Were Yours turned up my anger dial because Wingate exposed an issue (abduction for adoption) and a forgotten criminal (Georgia Tann) and a house of horrors (Tennessee Children's Home Society) and played out the sad repercussions of present and past through 350 pages in the life of Rill Foss (a young girl on a Mississippi River shanty boat in 1939) and Avery Stafford (a present-day rising political star in a South Carolina political dynasty).
Thank you, Lisa Wingate! I spent seven years in Memphis. It is a "second home," but I did not know this dark side. Becoming aware of past corruption helps me to be more aware -- and emotionally attuned -- to present-day corruption and the plight of abused children.
Before We Were Yours helps ugly facts walk and talk and tell a tale I needed to hear. I suspect you might need to hear it too! I encourage you to read Before We Were Yours. It is a riveting story!
You can find more of my reviews at www.onmywalk.com.