Family Dramas

摘要

Goodman (The Finishing School) was inspired in part by her mother's story for this novel set in 1950s Quebec. At 15, Maggie becomes pregnant, though she's unsure if the child is her boyfriend Gabriel's or from being raped by her uncle. Her English-speaking family separates her from the French Gabriel, refusing to believe her story of abuse. After giving birth, Maggie is forced to give up daughter Elodie for adoption, and the baby is immediately taken to one of many church-run orphanages in Quebec. Shortly after, owing to a new law providing more funds for psychiatric hospitals, the province's orphanages are remade as mental wards, its residents declared unfit for society, eliminating the need for education or adoption. Growing up, Elodie endures this cruel policy until she is released at age 17. Maggie marries an English businessman in Montreal, trying to live quietly while not forgetting her daughter. And then Gabriel comes back into her life. VERDICT Goodman's solid historical novel highlights social conditions in Quebec from the 1950s to 1970s, with complex characters and the conflict between the French and English handled realistically. While the main story line focuses on Maggie and Elodie's search for each other, subplots add extra interest. For those who appreciated Helen Edwards and Jenny Lee Smith's My Secret Sister or the film P/i/fomena.