In the hills of Tennessee, two women work at a Manhattan Project site during World War II and uncover truths that irrevocably change their lives in this captivating new story from award-winning Southern fiction author Michelle Shocklee.
1944. Maebelle Willett arrives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eager to begin her new government job and send money home to her impoverished family. She knows little about the work she will be doing, but she’s told it will help America win the war. Not all is what it seems, however. Though Oak Ridge employees are forbidden from discussing their jobs, Mae’s roommate begins sharing disturbing information, then disappears without a trace. Mae desperately attempts to find her but instead comes face-to-face with a life-altering revelation—one that comes at significant cost.
1979. Laurel Willet is a graduate student in Boston when she learns about the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where thousands unknowingly worked on the atomic bomb. Intrigued because she knows her Aunt Mae was employed there, Laurel decides to spend the summer with her aunt, hoping to add a family connection to her thesis research. But Mae adamantly refuses to talk about her time in the secret city. Mae’s friends, however, offer to share their experiences, propelling Laurel on her path to uncovering the truth about a missing woman. As Laurel works to put the pieces together, the hidden pain and guilt Mae has tried so hard to bury comes to light . . . with potentially disastrous consequences.
Standalone Southern historical fiction great for fans of Lisa Wingate, Donna Everhart, and Lynn AustinA compelling dual-timeline novel set during WWII and the 1970s about the weight of secrets and the power of forgivenessIncludes discussion questions for book groups
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Summary
reviewed by Rebecca
"No one wants to talk about those days. The past is the past. Best to leave it there."
Eager to begin research for her doctoral dissertation, Laurel Willett travels all the way from Boston, Massachusetts to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in order to spend a portion of the summer with her Aunt Mae. Mae had actually worked at the now famed Secret City, making Laurel hopeful that Mae would not only share her own recollections, but would connect her with others who had unknowingly helped manufacture a key component of the atomic bomb, enriched uranium. Instead of cooperation from her aunt, Laurel meets stiff resistance, almost to the point of traumatic stress.
Maebelle Willett was so young when she accepted government employment at Clinton Engineer Works, optimistic that her salary would help ease the financial duress facing her family back in Kentucky. Mae was paired with a wonderful roommate, caught on quickly to her job responsibilities, took her vow of confidentiality very seriously, and even met a kind young man. How quickly things changed when her life became unrecognizable, rife with decisons that she would regret for decades to come.
A fascinating blend of cause and effect spanning a generation, resulting in a culmination of tightly held secrets with long lasting effects on one innocent young woman whose desire to serve her country became twisted with the ill intentions of another. Equally as interesting was the history itself, the tale of a place no one even knew existed for a number of years. Thankfully this particular story has a happy ending and we would wish nothing less for these remarkable characters.