August 3, 2020
Mason (A Most Nobel Heir) bases her moving first installment of the Redemption’s Light series on a real-life women’s reformatory. In 1940s Toronto, 20 year-old Olivia Rosetti’s father disowns her and turns her over to the authorities after he discovers she is pregnant out of wedlock. She is charged with the crime of “being incorrigible” and sent to the Mercer Reformatory for Unmarried Women. There she and the other women are victims of horrendous physical abuse and their babies are placed for adoption upon birth. After Olivia is released, she meets the elderly Ruth, whose story is similar to her own. As Olivia struggles with shame and guilt, Ruth helps her discover the redemptive love of God. Together, they open Bennington’s Place, a maternity home where they can care for other unmarried women and their children who would otherwise face imprisonment at a reformatory. In their quest for public support, Olivia meets Darius, a widowed father of a young daughter. Through Darius’s love, Olivia’s emotional wounds are finally able to heal; she accepts forgiveness for herself and discovers that she is worthy of love. This gripping, emotional tale that will appeal to readers of Julie Klassen.