This touching story begins in 1938 with a teenage girl named Rosie in California who becomes an orphan. Taken in my her parents’ employer, she falls victim to the man of the house and gets pregnant. But Rosie has a secret that made her different, and her secret is betrayed so that she is not sent to a home for unwed mothers but to a mental institution. This thread is intriguing by itself but Meissner links Rosie with a woman, Helen, who works in Europe as a nanny as the Nazis are targeting disabled children. Her heartbreaking experience leads her to do what she can to save as many children as possible. Many years after the war Helen goest back to California and learns that her brother was the father of Rosie’s baby, the only relative Helen has left. Helen had met Rosie when the girl was younger and corresponded with her a few times, But where is Rosie now and what became of her baby?
There are so many lessons we can learn from this story, inspired by the eugenics movement that existed in some places in the US until the 1970s, according to the author’s note, which is not to be missed.
I’m a fan of all of Meissner’s books, but my goodness, this one is exquisite. Highly recommend!
Reviewed by Cindy Thomson, http://www.cindyswriting.com
Novel PASTimes 