Empathetic, Hopeful Historical A Memorable Read

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Struggling journalist Ellis Reed is in desperate need of a juicy story to propel him out of the society pages into the more prestigious world of investigative reporting.  When he happens upon an arresting sight—two kids sitting on a sagging porch in rural Pennsylvania beside a sign reading "Two Children for Sale"—he snaps a photograph.  It's a heart-wrenching scene that says volumes about the struggles people all over the country are facing in the midst of the Great Depression.  Ellis never intends to publish the picture, but when it is inadvertently shown to his editor, the man in charge sees a golden opportunity.  After the original image is accidentally destroyed, Ellis is sent to get another, which leads to a staged photograph and the subsequent destruction of an innocent family.  As the situation grows increasingly out of control, Ellis is haunted by what he's done.  He can't tell the truth without ruining his now successful career, but he can't live with himself if he doesn't. 

Equally horrified by her role in the situation, Lillian Palmer vows to help Ellis reunite a family torn apart by lies and besieged by unwanted public attention.  Risking her own position at the newspaper, she has to decide how far she's willing to go for redemption and for her developing relationship with Ellis.  Can Lillian and Ellis put to rights a situation that gets more complicated every day?  Or have they doomed themselves and a guiltless family to a lifetime of sorrow and remorse? 

With a haunting premise and a compelling plot, Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is an evocative novel about the sometimes long-reaching consequences of one split-second decision.  Peopled with flawed, but authentic characters, it tells an empathetic story that highlights the abject desperation that characterized a devastating period in American history.  Although this is a sad story, it's also a hopeful one.  Sold on a Monday kept me reading, hoping, and yearning for a happy ending.  I enjoyed it immensely.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find