Helpful Score: 3
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman is based on actual events that occurred at Willowbrook State School, a mental institution in New York whose horrible mistreatment of individuals was exposed by Geraldo Rivera and others in the 1970s.
When I read a novel by Ellen Marie Wiseman, I know I'll glimpse the evil of human nature that existed in historical events. She'll take me to places I'd rather not go with characters I strongly dislike, but her writing is compelling and the stories illuminate parts of history that are important to know. Thankfully her books are ultimately hopeful which motivates me to pick up the next piece of her brilliant writing.
This novel was often difficult to read because the descriptions of the conditions at Willowbrook were so gruesome; it triggered my anxiety fairly severely. But as hard as it was to read, I continued to honor of individuals who actually lived through this horrendous abuse. This is a fast-paced mix of fact and fiction, and I was cheering for Sage as she endures deplorable abuse to seek the truth about her twin sister Rosemary.
I wish poor treatment of vulnerable individuals was in the past, but a state institution near me is currently facing allegations of abuse, neglect, and scientific experimentation of its residents. Shocking and so sad.
Thank you to Kensington Books for the review copy of this powerful novel; all opinions are my own.
When I read a novel by Ellen Marie Wiseman, I know I'll glimpse the evil of human nature that existed in historical events. She'll take me to places I'd rather not go with characters I strongly dislike, but her writing is compelling and the stories illuminate parts of history that are important to know. Thankfully her books are ultimately hopeful which motivates me to pick up the next piece of her brilliant writing.
This novel was often difficult to read because the descriptions of the conditions at Willowbrook were so gruesome; it triggered my anxiety fairly severely. But as hard as it was to read, I continued to honor of individuals who actually lived through this horrendous abuse. This is a fast-paced mix of fact and fiction, and I was cheering for Sage as she endures deplorable abuse to seek the truth about her twin sister Rosemary.
I wish poor treatment of vulnerable individuals was in the past, but a state institution near me is currently facing allegations of abuse, neglect, and scientific experimentation of its residents. Shocking and so sad.
Thank you to Kensington Books for the review copy of this powerful novel; all opinions are my own.
Willowbrook State School for the intellectually challenged on Staten Island in New York actually existed and the events in this book are real. These events occured from 1947 to 1987.
Sage and Rosemary Winters are identical twins but Rosemary is intellectually challenged. When Rosemary disappears, Sage is told that she died in the hospital of pneumonia. Six years later she overhears her step father, Alan, discussing her missing sister with a friend. The truth, Sage learns, is that her sister was sent to Willowbrook at the age of ten by by Alan and her mother.
Determined to help find her sister, sixteen-year-old Sage travels to Willowbrook but once there is mistaken for her missing twin and is trapped in the institution. She learns how residents are treated and no one believes her 'story'. She learns, too, that many have gone missing both in her community and from Willowbrook. Could she have been murdered? When she and a Willowbrook employee find her body, she knows that the rumors of a murderer preying upon residents are true and Sage, too, may become a victim.
Sage and Rosemary Winters are identical twins but Rosemary is intellectually challenged. When Rosemary disappears, Sage is told that she died in the hospital of pneumonia. Six years later she overhears her step father, Alan, discussing her missing sister with a friend. The truth, Sage learns, is that her sister was sent to Willowbrook at the age of ten by by Alan and her mother.
Determined to help find her sister, sixteen-year-old Sage travels to Willowbrook but once there is mistaken for her missing twin and is trapped in the institution. She learns how residents are treated and no one believes her 'story'. She learns, too, that many have gone missing both in her community and from Willowbrook. Could she have been murdered? When she and a Willowbrook employee find her body, she knows that the rumors of a murderer preying upon residents are true and Sage, too, may become a victim.
This book is absolutely breathtaking. It is beautifully written and it seems there is a surprise around every corner. Definitely a page turner!!
