5 stars for Necessary Lies (Necessary Lies book 1) by Diane Chamberlain.
This is one powerful story; heartbreaking, intense and intriguing at the same time.
It is easy to feel sad for the characters in the story. The fact that this historical fiction is based on true events - the Eugenics Sterilization Program which did happen from 1929 to 1975 - make me feel even more sad.
Necessary Lies. What constitutes necessary? Is there such a thing as a necessary lie. To me, a lie is a lie is a lie. Period.
To be poor and to be on public welfare does not make one any less human. So why does it lead to the loss of freedom to make choices or decisions? The things they do to the girls and women who are not smart enough or healthy enough or rich enough.. are basically violations of basic human rights. Where does ethics even come in?
Even as I am fuming away at the unreasonableness and injustice of it all, the narratives make me feel as if I have stepped into a time machine. At first, I feel like the 15-year old, Ivy Hart, and the 22-year old case worker, Jane Forrester, and then all of a sudden, I find myself turned into senior citizens. Yes, the story is narrated in first person perspectives, by Ivy and Jane, and to a small extent, Brenna, from 2011 back to 1960 and then back to 2011 again.
The story is predictable - hey, I guess something right even though I do not know how I did it - and unpredictable; many of the happenings when revealed, catch me by surprise. Regardless of either, it is definitely a story that builds up slowly but surely in intensity. Though the ending seems a tad too good to be true, I feel that the author has done her part and everything necessary to raise awareness and bring across the story of those in Necessary Lies.
For those readers who enjoy stories based on true events, this is the book for you.
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition
Publication date: 7 Oct 2014
*** Favourite quote ***
“You don’t know nothin’ about them.” Eli bit off every word. “Or about me and my kin, neither. You only know what we let you know.”
~ Necessary Lies
Diane Chamberlain
@}--->>--->>-----
After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. 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 doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients’ lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But 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 the battle against everything she believes is wrong.
Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells 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.
*Blurb from author's website*
Add to:
Links to purchase:
No comments:
Post a Comment