HOME FOR ERRING AND OUTCAST GIRLS

Karissa Vacker's narration of this blend of historical fiction and a contemporary mystery is hampered by short chapters and continual shifts in point of view and time that impede the flow. The historical fiction, about two real-life residents of the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls in the early 1900s, works better than the modern tale. Vacker gives Izzy and Mattie unique voices while sharing their heartrending stories. Sadly, the fictional Cate's contemporary mystery is a distraction that never connects to the history and drags the story down. The voices in Cate's story are less developed and distinctive, and the mystery seems gratuitous, further distracting from the more interesting and compelling historical part. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]