The Foundling

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good House,the ΓÇ£harrowinggrippingand beautifulΓÇ¥ (Laura DaveNew York Times bestselling author) story of two friendsraised in the same orphanagewhose loyalty is put to the ultimate test when they meet years later at an institutionΓÇöbased on a shocking and little-known piece of American history. ItΓÇÖs 1927 and eighteen-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. SheΓÇÖs immediately in awe of her employerΓÇöbrilliantgenteel Dr. Agnes Vogel. Dr. Vogel had been the only woman in her class in medical school. As a young psychiatrist she was an outspoken crusader for womenΓÇÖs suffrage. Nowat age fortyDr. Vogel runs one of the largest and most self-sufficient public asylums for women in the country. Mary deeply admires how dedicated the doctor is to the poor and vulnerable women under her care. Soon after sheΓÇÖs hiredMary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escapealleging the asylum is not what it seemsMary is faced with a terrible choice. Should she trust her troubled friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret? MaryΓÇÖs decision triggers a hair-raising sequence of events with life-altering consequences for all. Inspired by a true story about the authorΓÇÖs grandmotherThe Foundling is compellingunsettlingand ΓÇ£a stunning reminder that not much time has passed since everyone claimed to know what was best for a womanΓÇöeveryone except the woman herselfΓÇ¥ (Jodi PicoultNew York Times bestselling author).