A mere week ago, @heathermarshallauthor released her latest book, and I was intrigued from the get-go. As you know by now, I'm a sucker for a historical fiction novel that opens my eyes to lesser-known facts from the past. This particular novel explores the dark history of all-female reformatories in the early 60s Canada, specifically the Andrew Mercer Reformatory, where women and girls aged 16-35 were sent under the Female Refuges Act (aka, the Incorrigible Law). Under this law, anyone - from parents to teachers, or even concerned citizens - could bring these females before a magistrate claiming she was unmanageable or leading an idle life, and initiate her institutionalization. As you can imagine, not only were these laws exploited by citizens to control girls and women, but the employees of the institutions themselves abused their authority over them.
This story delved into the inhumane treatment of these women through the eyes of brave female reporter, Emily Radcliffe, who decides to enter Mercer Women's undercover in 1961. Little did she know the chilling reality she was about to face.
The story also weaves in a second timeline set in 1996, where Detective Rachel Mackenzie unravels a mystery intricately linked to the past.
This novel was certainly a page-turner that had me disgusted at how women were seen as so dispensable back then. A law that would incarcerate women for such subjective behavior is absolutely mind blowingπ€―. You can bet I went down the rabbit hole to delve into similar institutions in the USπ±.
Many thanks to partners @ballantinebooks , @penguinrandomhouse , and @netgalley for this #gifted review copy.
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