This post contains affiliate links. A few years ago, I read The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain and loved it. So, I decided to give another one of her books a whirl, Necessary Lies, and I loved that one just as much! Lucky for me, she has written over 25 books, so there are many more for me to read!
About Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
Ivy Hart is a 15-year-old girl growing up in North Carolina in 1960. Ivy has had a rough life; she lives in poverty, and both of her parents are gone; she’s raised by her grandma, but it’s more like Ivy is the parent to her grandmother, who doesn’t take good care of her health. Add in Ivy’s 19-year-old mentally impaired sister, Mary Ella, and her young son, and Ivy has her hands full. The only bright spot in Ivy’s life is her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Jane Forrester has taken her first job as a social worker, and Ivy’s family is on her caseload. One of Jane’s main jobs is to evaluate her clients and determine which ones are good candidates for North Carolina’s Eugenics program–women who had physical issues such as epilepsy or mild mental impairments–were considered good candidates. Ivy had epilepsy, and her sister was mentally impaired.
However, Jane continually irritates her co-workers and boss because she gets too emotionally invested in her clients’ lives, including Ivy’s. She wrestles with the decision to choose women and teens to be sterilized. As she looks at the Hart family and struggles with her decision, she is drawn into their lives and discovers secrets that must come to light.
My Thoughts on the Book
This book completely engaged me and kept me reading. I felt great sympathy for Ivy and her boyfriend. I also felt for Jane, struggling against the opinions of her co-workers and boss, though she clearly crossed the line and became much too enmeshed in her clients’ lives.
I give Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain 5 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
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