Book Review: Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm.  As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.

When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed.  She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband.  But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm—secrets much darker than she would have guessed.  Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.

Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy.  Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it’s wrong? (Good Reads)

I stumbled across Diane Chamberlain on my first trip to NYC for BEA and the first Book Blogger Convention. That trip brought on a massive collection of new books and authors. The Harlequin booth was huge and filled to the brim with people. I snagged a few books there including The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain.

After sifting through my pile at home I picked it up. We ended up reading it for a book club selection that year and I was hooked. I went on to read three more of her books and loved each one. She is definitely  an author I wouldn't necessarily pick out because her books seem similar to so many others. But when you actually start reading her, she hooks you with her talent.

Her stories are so layered and complicated and you never know where she is going or what to expect. Necessary Lies was just the same. I read it in just a few days, eagerly going back to it every chance I could. She fills her books with lots of human drama; relationships, secrets, betrayal, etc. It's easy to fall in to it.

She has replaced Jodi Picoult for me in my dramatic adult contemporary reading pleasure. I definitely recommend her.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

 

red headed book child