Historical fiction novel.

Book Review of “Before We Were Yours”

Before We Were Yours is a historical fiction novel by Lisa Wingate. The book tells the story of two families: one in present-day South Carolina and another in Tennessee during the Great Depression. The two families are connected by a terrible secret involving a Memphis-based adoption agency called the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.

The novel is split between two timelines, one set in the 1930s and the other in the present day. Rill Foss and her siblings are taken from their parents and placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in the 1930s timeline. In the present-day timeline, we follow the story of Avery Stafford, a successful lawyer who returns to her hometown to help her father with his political campaign.

What makes this novel so powerful is the way Wingate interweaves the two timelines. As Avery begins to investigate her family’s past, she uncovers a connection to Rill Foss and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Through Avery’s investigation, we learn about the horrific conditions that children in the home were subjected to and the brutal methods used to place them with wealthy families who were willing to pay for a child.

Wingate’s writing is both engaging and emotional, and the characters are well-drawn and sympathetic. The story of Rill and her siblings is heartbreaking, and the injustice they suffer is difficult to read about. But Wingate manages to balance the sadness of the historical storyline with the hopefulness of Avery’s present-day investigation.

A very emotional and thought-provoking book, Before We Were Yours illuminates a little-known chapter in American history. The book poses significant queries about identity, family, and the extent we will go to defend people we care about. Everyone who likes historical fiction or is concerned about social justice must read it.