Patry Francis

I liked this story about foster children very much. Dahlia and Lou take in long-term foster kids being unable to have children of their own. Dahlia has said no girls...but when baby Jon comes with a big sister attached, that rule is breached. Dahlia says no emergencies, but Agnes shows up with her arm in a cast and keeps running back when placed in more permanent homes. Another rule breached. And these rules are breached because of caring, and love. Dahlia and Lou are wonderful foster parents.

But it's not all rosy or easy. Each of the children, and Dahlia herself, are dealing with the lingering effects of trauma. Dahlia is agoraphobic because of past violence. Jimmy's father is a criminal. Zadie watched her mother die after she and her young brother were abandoned by their father. And Agnes has lost so much, and endured so much and isn't yet six years old. They build a strong family despite, and because of, their past histories.

The writing is good and the character development is exceptional. The characters all grow and evolve over time. There are moments in their lives that reach out and grab the reader...but no spoilers here. Read it!… (meer)

This is a story of a family in the late 1950s-60s, who foster children since they can't have any biological children. Ma doesn't want any girls, but does get Agnes and Zaidie. Agnes is an Indian girl that no one will adopt. Zaidie and her brother Jon come to the family because their mother died and their father had left. Ma will not leave the house due to trauma experienced when she was in high school. The way this family looks out for each other is heartwarming and the tragic circumstances that brought them all together is truly heartbreaking. I loved how they drew on each other's strength.… (meer)

I was enchanted by Agnes, the abused child who is placed with the family, but most intrigued with Dahlia, the home bound foster mom who has suffered agoraphobia for years. From the beginning you can tell something horrible happened to her in the past. Most women will guess the gist of it but when she finally reveals the details it is both heartbreaking and enraging, Dahlia and her husband Louie have taken in many foster children over the years. Dahlia has tried not to let herself get too attached to them so as not to have a broken heart when it's time for them to leave. She and her husband sometimes appear cold even towards each other but their love for each other and the children is fierce.

This was an intense story of neglect and abuse, love and loss and proof that families don't have to share DNA to be real., Though set in the 1950s it somehow felt timeless, in that the foster care system of those days is as broken today. There were a couple of little things that bothered me about what seemed like inaccuracies for the time period for example I am pretty sure the term Bipolar was never used before the 80s, back in the 60s it would have been called manic depression, but the depth of the characters and the way they engaged with each other felt genuine to me.

I received an advance copy for review.… (meer)