Memaw Reads

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Ebook

Historical Setting: 1920s-1990s New York

This book was excellent! I loved the dual timeline and became invested in both Clara and Izzy’s stories. It definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster.

The first timeline takes place in the 1930’s, where Clara is unjustly committed to an asylum by her father simply because she refuses to marry the man he has chosen for her. Instead, she wants to marry an Italian Immigrant, and her punishment and treatment at the asylum is horrific.

The second timeline takes place in the 1990’s and follows Izzy, who has been in and out of foster care while her mother is in prison for killing her father. Izzy has refused to see her mother, but while helping her foster mother research the asylum where Clara was held, she discovers Clara’s journals. What she learns makes her realize there are always two sides to a story and leads her to question what really happened—and why her mother did what she did.

This was a powerful and heartbreaking story that really tugged at my heart. The way the author interweaves the two timelines is brilliantly done, and both stories had a profound effect on me. It was difficult to read at times because of the heartbreak, but its a story that will stay with me for a long time.