Ms. Wiseman is a relatively new author for me. I hadn’t read anything by her until I ventured through The Orphan Collector which utterly destroyed me.
In her latest novel Ms. Wiseman takes us to Willowbrook school. A school in name only. Willowbrook was actually an institution where parents would relieve themselves of the burden of their children should the need arise. A place rife with abuse, neglect, and horrors, is where we meet Sage Winters.
Sage’s mother has passed away, her stepfather is not interested in raising a child that isn’t is so Sage is left to herself. Sage was a twin, her sister Rosemary passed away several years ago, or so Sage is led to believe. One day she is horrified to discover that her sister is not dead but living at Willowbrook and has disappeared.
Sage departs on a quest to find her sister and discover what exactly has happened to her beloved twin. But, as soon as she steps foot inside Willowbrook she is mistaken for her twin.
Sage is treated first person to the horrors and abuses that those who went before her suffered.
Part fiction part true story (Willowbrook actually did exist and the abuse there did occur, Ellen includes some quotes from actual employees and the “headmaster” of Willowbrook), this is a heart-rending novel that will make you question how far people will go to find the truth and to hide that truth.
Pick up in store or order online.