Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate
A heartbreaking story of love and loss, based on a true story
ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD
OVER 30 WEEKS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER LIST’S TOP TEN
WINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2017 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION AWARD
Memphis, Tennessee, 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…
Aiken, South Carolina, present day
Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career, 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.