Necessary Lies - by Diane Chamberlain (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1960 North Carolina, Ivy Hart is a fifteen-year-old girl whose family are tenants on a small tobacco farm. After her parents die, she is left with the overwhelming task of caring for several family members. Jane Forrester is Grace County's newest social worker, and she quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, straining her personal and professional relationships. Jane's relationship with the Hart family tests her resolve to fight against racial tensions and state-mandated sterilizations.

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Big Lies in a Small Town

It is 1960 in North Carolina and the lives of Ivy Hart and Jane Forrester couldn't be more different. Fifteen-year-old Ivy lives with her family as tenants on a small tobacco farm, but when her parents die, Ivy is left to care for her grandmother, older sister, and nephew. 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 is given the task of recommending which of her clients should be sterilized without their knowledge or consent. The state's rationalization is that if her clients are poor, or ill, or deemed in some way "unfit" they should not be allowed to have children. But soon Jane becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her new husband and her supervisors. No one understands why Jane would want to become a caseworker for the Department of Public Health when she could be a housewife and Junior League member. 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 a life-changing battle.

Necessary Lies is 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?

Review Quotes

"This enthralling novel transfixed me from the very first pages." --Christina Schwarz, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Drowning Ruth

"""Necessary Lies "shines!" --Lesley Kagen, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Mare's Nest

""Expertly intertwines history and matters of the heart - love, loyalty and choosing what is right, no matter the consequences." --Heather Gudenkauf, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Weight of Silence & One Breath Away

""Diane Chamberlain's "Necessary Lies" is the most important book she has ever written." --Dorothea Benton Frank, "New York Times "bestselling author of "Porch Lights"

About the Author

DIANE CHAMBERLAIN is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels published in over eleven languages. Her books include The First Lie, Her Mother's Shadow, The Good Father, and Kiss River. She lives in North Carolina with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her shelties, Keeper and Cole.