Table of Contents
About The Book
2018
At ninety-seven years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago...
1936
Fifteen-year-old Winny has never known a real home. After running away from an abusive stepfather, she falls in with Mary, Jack, and their ragtag group of friends roaming the streets of Liverpool. When the children are caught stealing food, Winny and Mary are left in Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls, a local home for orphans and forgotten children found in the city’s slums. At Barkingside, Winny learns she will soon join other boys and girls in a faraway place called Canada, where families and better lives await them.
But Winny’s hopes are dashed when she is separated from her friends and sent to live with a family that has no use for another daughter. Instead, they have paid for an indentured servant to work on their farm. Faced with this harsh new reality, Winny clings to the belief that she will someday find her friends again.
Inspired by true events, The Forgotten Home Child is a moving and heartbreaking novel about place, belonging, and family—the one we make for ourselves and its enduring power to draw us home.
Reading Group Guide
Genevieve Graham
Reading Group Guide
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Did you know who the British Home Children were before reading this book? How does this chapter in history shape your understanding of Canada as a British colony and as its own nation?
2. Winny’s family moves from Ireland to England for a better life, but they experience tragedy, poverty, and hunger. Compare and contrast her early life with Mary and Jack’s, and discuss the different events that drove them to the streets along with so many other children. What might this say about the economic reality of England at this time?
3. In the present-day storyline, Winny says that Dr. Barnardo “was a well-intentioned man with a good heart.” After reading this book, what do you think of Dr. Barnardo and his Homes, and later, his plan to send children to Canada? Was there any merit to his actions? Where did his plan go wrong? And why?
4. Winny and her friends were told that Canada was a land of opportunity and that there were families waiting to take them in as their own, but in most cases, this was far from the truth. Why do you think there was so much hostility toward the Home Children? Do you think Canada is more welcoming to newcomers now? What prejudices still exist today?
5. Canada was a country struggling through the Great Depression and on the brink of another world war. Did knowing this historical backdrop change how you saw the actions of Mistress Adams and Mistress Renfrew? In what other ways does the author complicate our view of these families and even elicit our sympathies?
6. When Winny arrives on the Adams farm, she finds solace in picturing the faces of her friends. Discuss the importance of remembrance in the novel. What are some other key scenes where Winny or Jack remember their friends? How does this act evolve throughout the novel? For instance, when is it healing? And when is it too painful?
7. Mary and Winny are closer than friends; they see each other as sisters, and Winny goes on to adopt Mary’s son, Billy, as her own. Consider the theme of family in the novel. What other close ties beyond blood relations do we see? What do these portrayals say about the value of family and belonging?
8. Both Mary and Quinn die as a result of their mistreatment. In the author’s note to readers, she shares that Mary’s and Quinn’s experiences were not uncommon. How did learning this change your understanding of this history?
9. The Home Children make their own trunks at Barnardo’s Homes to bring to Canada. Winny keeps hers for her entire life, but Jack abandons his. Beyond being luggage, what is the role of the trunks in the novel? What do they come to symbolize?
10. Why does Jack connect with the messages in The Communist Manifesto? How does this reference contextualize Jack’s personal story within a larger socioeconomic lens?
11. Winny often says that the loneliness was the worst part of her experience. How does her past continue to isolate her from those she loves in her later years? How does seeing the British Home Children memorial in the Park Lawn Cemetery change that? What might this tell us about the importance of historical commemoration?
12. When Winny goes to adopt Billy at the maternity home, the matron recommends not telling Billy that he is adopted. Discuss the portrayal of adoption by comparing and contrasting Charlotte’s and Billy’s experiences.
13. At their graduation from nursing school, Winny and Charlotte are called “the future of Canada.” When war breaks out, Jack, Edward, and Cecil enlist to fight for Canada. How were the Home Children fundamental to Canada’s growth and nationhood? How does their mistreatment complicate their sense of identity?
14. In what ways did the war change Jack’s life when he returned to Canada? Consider the novel’s references to communism. Do you think Jack achieved the equal and fair treatment that he sought while reading The Communist Manifesto? Why was Jack still unhappy?
15. Winny tells Jack that she feels like home when she’s with him. Discuss the meaning of home in the novel. What does the word come to symbolize?
16. Winny and Jack carry the shame of being a Home Child for their entire life. How did their experiences affect their ability to love, trust, develop relationships, and lead normal lives? How did their trauma affect them differently? Discuss the lingering effects on their own family.
17. Why does Winny open up about her past after so long? How does sharing her experiences help Chrissie work through her own grief and bring Winny, Chrissie, and Jamie closer together?
18. Throughout the novel, many characters wish to know more about their family history, including Billy, Chrissie, and Jamie. How are their motivations the same? How are they different? Why is knowing their personal history so important to their sense of self and family?
19. Discuss the theme of forgiveness in the novel. In your opinion, do Mistress Adams and Mistress Renfrew do enough to atone for their actions? Should Winny’s family forgive her for keeping secrets? Do you think it’s possible to forgive a wrong even if it is never forgotten?
20. Consider the dual timeline structure of the novel. How does this reflect the experience of the Home Children?
21. Discuss the significance of the title The Forgotten Home Child.
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Have you ever looked up your own ancestry? Are you wondering if you are one of the 12 percent of Canadians descended from Home Children? Visit the British Home Children website here: https://www.britishhomechildren.com/. Or dig deeper in their Registry, where they have catalogued more than 70,000 of the children: http://www.britishhomechildrenregistry.com. And check out the Government of Canada immigration records: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/home-children-1869-1930/immigration-records/Pages/search.aspx.
2. Read the poem “Forgotten Children” by Walter Richard Williams. How does this novel overlap with and differ from the poem’s summary of the Home Children’s experiences? In what ways is this book also a testament to the lives of the Home Children?
3. Though the Home Children are not well-known, Guest Children, or "the lucky ones," were equally little known. Read more about them here: https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/digital-archives-canadas-guest-children-during-second-world-war. How did their situations differ from Home Children? Why do you think they were treated much better?
About The Author
Genevieve Graham is the USA TODAY and #1 bestselling author of twelve novels, including The Secret Keeper; The Forgotten Home Child, which has been optioned for TV; Letters Across the Sea; and Bluebird. She is passionate about breathing life back into history through tales of love and adventure. She lives in Alberta. Visit her at GenevieveGraham.com or on X and Instagram @GenGrahamAuthor.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 3, 2020)
- Length: 384 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982128968
Raves and Reviews
Indigo’s most anticipated read of 2020
The Kit’s “10 New Books to Cozy Up With”
Target Recommends for March 2020
“If there’s one thing that defines The Forgotten Home Child, it’s the essence of the past. In these pages, one family discovers the truth about their personal history and realizes that while our pasts are imperfect and multi-faceted, and can bind us or set us free, in the end, they inform our identity. Genevieve Graham captures the reader’s attention from the beginning in this exquisite journey to the heart of what makes us human.”
— ARMANDO LUCAS CORREA, bestselling author of The German Girl and The Daughter’s Tale
“Drawing on a dark, yet little-known chapter in Canada’s history, Graham paints a searing portrait of a childhood shattered by isolation and brutality. I was profoundly moved by this tale of courage, fortitude, and the heart’s ability to open again in the wake of great injustice. The Forgotten Home Child is a powerful and engrossing read, brimming on every page with both heartbreak and hope.”
— ROXANNE VELETZOS, bestselling author of The Girl They Left Behind
“Brings alive in the imagination the lives of what were once called Barnardo children—kids who came from England to Canada to be adopted into families here. While historically not all of the stories were positive, Graham evokes the experience of a groundswell of young immigrants from which many in this country are descended.”
— Toronto Star
“Graham . . . has crafted a sensitive, moving tale of a group of displaced children and their search for belonging on our shores. This little-known piece of our nation’s history couldn’t be in better hands.”
— Canadian Living
“Another gem from one of my favourite historical fiction authors! Graham reveals our past—both the shame and the hope of it—in the truest possible light. In doing so, she offers promise that the future can be changed by the telling of such important stories. This novel is heartbreaking yet romantic, distressing yet charming—and perfect for fans of Joanna Goodman and Jennifer Robson!”
— MARISSA STAPLEY, bestselling author of The Last Resort
“The Forgotten Home Child is a poignant, edgy, and skillfully written portrayal of a Home Child’s experience that typified so many. The absence of any sugar coating makes this story come to life and brings a level of reality that is often lacking—an emotional journey well worth reading.”
— LORI OSCHEFSKI, CEO of the British Home Children Advocacy and Research Association
“[A] page-turner. . . . Graham writes about ordinary people living at important moments in Canadian history, from the displacement of the Acadians to the Yukon Gold Rush to the Second World War. In The Forgotten Home Child, she ensures the British Home Children are remembered and honoured.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
“Graham has immense talent when it comes to making our nation’s history interesting and weaving a riveting story around historical facts.”
— Niagara Life Magazine
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