Lauren Prescott’s family secrets were buried long before she was born, during the sixties era when her great-grandparents took in a runaway girl from an Indian residential school. Her ailing grandfather, who was a teenager back then, now longs to find the girl—Rose Hill—to right a wrong before he dies. He’s ashamed of how he treated her because he recoiled from the racist climate of colonialism … colonialism of the time. Haunted by the past, Lauren risks everything to go after the truth for her grandfather—even her life!
more
Moonshadow by Joy Goddard
Wow…I thought I was reading a well-written, character driven mystery about a young woman who went to stay with her terminally ill grandfather in a cottage by the river in Canada and deal with a dysfunctional family and a gripping mystery. What I got was a glimpse into the horrifying treatment of Native American children in North America as late as the 1960s. My heart broke for Rose, the Native American girl at the “heart” of the story. Every white middle class person needs to read this. It will burst your bubble of ignorance about this shameful period in our history.
I was curious to find out how a work of fiction based on the grim truths of the Canadian residential school system could be categorized as a love story, but Ms. Goddard has managed to weave the two themes together seamlessly.
This modern-day story follows Lauren, a young woman fresh out of journalism school who is sent to help look after her cherished grandfather who has fallen ill. During their time together at the family cottage, Lauren’s grandfather discloses how, in the early 1960s, he fell in love with an indigenous girl named Rose with whom he had a brief, but passionate courtship and with whom he regretfully ended up losing touch. He appeals to Lauren to help him find Rose with the hope of atoning for old wrongs.
Thanks to the author’s sensitive yet forthright storytelling, this book not only captures the innocence and yearning of young love but also brings to light the injustices of racism, abuse, forced assimilation, and the genocide of children—created and perpetuated, no less, by government- and church-run schools for more than a hundred years. A compelling story that will grip your heart.
After learning about her grandfather’s, Albert Cowden, failing health, budding journalist, Lauren Prescott and her mother, spend the summer at the Cowden’s residence. But when Lauren arrives, her grandfather has more than just household duties planned for her at the sprawling 6000 square foot lakeside home. Albert wants Lauren to find his long-lost love, Rose Hill, an indigenous girl he fell in love with when he was in high school. Armed with nothing but Rose’s diary and the stories her grandfather has told her, Lauren has a mystery to unravel. What became of this young woman who’d once saved her grandfather’s life and then escaped the abuse she suffered at a residential school? And what other secrets lie hidden?
It has been some time that I’ve read a story that I could not put down, that made me angry, that had me utter “Wow!” at the end of chapters, and that brought tears to my eyes. Moonshadow is that story. Though a work of fiction by author, Joy Lynn Goddard, the story about the suffering, abuse, and mistreatment of indigenous peoples in Canada at residential schools is all too real.
This is a well written, fast paced novel, with characters you will love and others you will hate. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages, as you learn the truth. I highly recommend this book.
A vivid, thrilling novel depicting a subject not often discussed
I was stunned and saddened at the revelation in the book of the Mohawk peoples’ fate in the 1960s, which was quite an unknown subject to me until now.
Although fictitious, the story shares the truth about the plight of Indigenous women and girls. It’s about (in author’s words) “how the white people treated the First Nation—their ignorance, racism, abuse.” There were disgusting, degrading moments picturing how Rose, the main character, and other girls were treated in the special school. So vicious were they, I had to stop reading for long moments before resuming. The characters were far from unflawed and through their actions and feelings, the reader is transported into the atmosphere of cold-blooded secrets buried down deep, loss, lies, and redemption, though without a happy ending. And yet, it’s a love story that will touch your heart.
The suspense mounts through the narrative; closer to the third part of the story it escalated to burning, and I couldn’t stop turning pages. Moonshadow enriched me with the knowledge I was ignorant of. Intensely researched, the story made a lasting impression on me. If you want to be moved and astonished, read it. Highly recommended.
A heartbreaking, compelling story of buried secrets and regrets
Lauren is a young girl dreaming of becoming a journalist. But, when her grandfather, Albert, becomes ill, she drops everything to help her mother and grandmother take care of him. Little did she know, the buried family secrets she was about to discover that turned her world upside down.
The story of a young Indian girl named Rose, who mysteriously disappeared many years ago, comes to haunt Lauren. And it’s up to her to solve the mystery and help her grandfather find some peace.
During her quest, Lauren discovers Rose’s diary and is shocked by the horror that Canada’s Native Americans had to face and the abuse their children had to suffer.
Moonshadow is a heartbreaking story of buried secrets and tragedies, family tensions, and regrets. The shift to an earlier time provides a clear understanding of the characters and the motives behind the decisions they made.