Great historical fiction -- but sad!

Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate

Early on I realized this book was told in the "then" and "now" alternating passages that I found so annoying in a previous book. But here, they weren't annoying--not in the least. I think that's because both stories were equally engrossing and because the author let the stories dictate the breaks rather than chop them into chapters. In the other book, I was annoyed at having to constantly wrench my attention back and forth. This just flowed.

I don't read enough historical fiction to have a vote, but I could see myself voting this for best book of the year. Except it came out last year and it already won.

Nothing else to say that hasn't already been said in thousands of other reviews. It was scary and disturbing and if the bad parts had been told by an adult, it would have been excruciating. The narrator would have known what dangers really faced them, rather than a vague sense of dread that might not really be so bad as reality. Even so she was old enough to feel responsible for the fate of her siblings and that was the worst--having no power to fight back. Knowing there was nothing she could do, but feeling that she ought to have done something.

Shudder. But don't let me scare you off.  Lots of good stuff, too.