The Forgotten Daughter

When I read Joanna Goodman's previous book The Home for Unwanted Girls, I learned a lot about a dark part of Canadian history that I was never taught in school growing up in Ontario. Set in the beautiful city of Montréal, Goodman's latest book The Forgotten Daughter brings readers into a tumultuous time in Québec's history and an equally turbulent relationship between a radical separatist and a journalist who opposes Québec separatism.

This is an eye-opening look into French-Canadian history, this time focusing on the Separatist movement and the continued struggle of the thousands of Duplessis Orphans as they push to have their years of suffering acknowledged by the Catholic Church and the Québec government. Readers should be aware that this is a sequel of sorts to The Home For Unwanted Girls so while technically this book could be read as a standalone, I strongly recommend reading The Home for Unwanted Girls first to better understand the lingering issues facing Elodie and the other Duplessis orphans and why they were fighting so hard for an apology, closure and restitution for their decades of abuse and suffering.

The story is told in two different eras - the 1950's and the 1990's - from the POV of a few characters. Véronique, a stanch Separatist and the daughter of Léo Fortin, a radical separatist and FLQ member who was convicted of murder in the 1950's, Elodie, now in middle age and her struggles as a Duplessis Orphan and James, Elodie's younger brother, an anti-Separatist in the 1990's who falls in love with Véronique despite their vastly different beliefs for their province's future. Through these characters, Goodman brings both sides of the separatist issue and the resulting tension, emotions and sometimes violence into her story.  

The Forgotten Daughter is a revealing look at Québec's fight for independence as well as the abuse of power and blatant corruption of the Québec government and the Catholic Church. As an Anglo-Canadian, I appreciate how Goodman brings the issues and emotions of Québec's Separatist issue into this story that is equally informative, emotional and inspiring.

 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Joanna Goodman

Genre: Historical Fiction (Canada)

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Pages: 416

Publisher: HarperCollins

First Published: October 27, 2020

Opening Lines: Veronique and Pierre are sitting outside on the 

fire escape. They're twelve.

Book Description from GoodReads: From the author of the bestselling novel The Home for Unwanted Girls, comes another compulsively readable story of love and suspense, following the lives of two women reckoning with their pasts and the choices that will define their futures.

1992: French-Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French-Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism. Their love affair is as passionate as it is turbulent, as they negotiate a constant struggle between love and morals.

At the same time, James’s older sister, Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis Orphans, becomes involved with a coalition demanding justice and reparations for their suffering in the 1950s when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals, a heinous political act of Premier Maurice Duplessis which affected 5,000 children.

Véronique is the only person Elodie can rely on as she fights for retribution, reliving her trauma, while Elodie becomes a sisterly presence for Véronique, who continues to struggle with her family’s legacy.

The Forgotten Daughter is a moving portrait of true love, familial bonds, and persistence in the face of injustice. As each character is pushed to their moral brink, they will discover exactly which lines they’ll cross—and just how far they’ll go for what they believe in.