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3.5 stars ‘The Home for Unwanted Girls� by Joanna Goodman is based upon a tragic occurrence in Canada’s history. Duplessis orphans were sent to mental institutions as their reclassification would provide higher subsidies. They were called Duplessis orphans because this occurred when Maurice Duplessis was premier of Quebec. A Catholic, “he put the schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the hands of religious orders, noting he "trusted them completely" (1). Doctors interviewed orphans and falsely documented mental illness. During the course of their stay in these institutions, drugs, especially Thorazine, which is widely used in the treatment of mental patients, was trialed on these children. Seven religious orders participated. Around 20,000 children were affected.

In our story, Maggie Hughes, who lives "55 miles southeast of Montreal" becomes pregnant. The father is next door neighbor, Gabriel Plenix, a French boy. Even though Maggie is half French herself (her mother is French, her father English), her father, Wellington Hughes deplores the French, thinking them of low ambition. At Maggie’s home, they speak French, but Wellington has made sure they attend English school. Wellington runs the seed store in town and is known as ‘The Seed Man.� Maggie loves working in the store with her father. One of her driving ambitions in life is to one day run the store.

When Maggie becomes too involved with Gabriel, she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Her father tells her “you can do better than a French Canadian.� Maggie reminds him that he married a French Canadian. He tells her she must learn from his mistake. Even while at her Uncle’s house, she manages to sneak off and meet Gabriel. When it becomes known that she’s pregnant, her parents arrange for the baby’s adoption. At 16 years of age, Maggie does not resist them. Maggie insists upon naming her Elodie; her father acquiesces to her name choice. It is the name of a lily. Because Elodie is premature and has jaundice, the adoption falls through and she ends up in an orphanage.

The novel continues in alternating voices, Maggie’s and Elodie’s. This is a good story and well worth reading. It puts a face on the historical events and brings to life the value of the human lives that went through this ordeal. Even people in these religious orders become cogs in wheels, fulfilling the directives that have been passed on to them. At one point in the book, Goodman writes that one nun might have to take care of as many as fifty children. That’s an impossibility, as anyone who has ever taken care of children will easily recognize. Their actions however cannot be condoned. Elodie’s conditions were harsh. If rape and abuse are triggers for you, don’t read this book.

For me, it was the plot that carried this story. Maggie and Elodie’s characters are pretty well fleshed out and I can appreciate different facets of their personalities. Maggie’s father was the best described secondary character. Other secondary characters come across without depth. Gabriel has some depth at the beginning, much less during the second half of the book.

Goodman’s writing is good, but lacks depth. There are some emotional moments in the story; moments I’m brought almost to tears, but Goodman doesn’t crack them open. It’s the events that occur that bring the emotion, not the exquisite rendering of language that will sometimes fill me as an author brings forth nuggets of perception or nuances of feeling. I would definitely read Goodman again, as I really did like her story and believe her powers as an author will only grow.

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