LOVE, LIZZIE

In Zaiss’ multigenerational novel, a divorced, lonely woman investigates a mysterious figure in a photo she discovered while handling her father’s estate.

The story begins with a diary entry dated 1952. A woman named Emma Hoskins uses a false name, Lizzie, to tell a story of grieving a miscarriage. In her early 20s, Emma became pregnant despite being advised not to do so, as she once had rheumatic fever that left her with serious heart disease; having children wasn’t just ill-advised, it was likely to make her condition worse. She says that her husband, Frank Hoskins, “has little sympathy” and thinks that “having a family is still in the cards for us”; however, Emma records in her diary that she’s “not taking that chance again.” The narrative then shifts to 2003: Maddie Hoskins, a 35-year-old divorced and childless insurance claims adjuster, is at her recently deceased father Frank Hoskins’ house in California. Her mother, Theresa, and younger brother, Adam, died before him, so Maddie now finds herself all alone in the world. While going through Frank’s papers, she discovers a photo of a beautiful woman with the notation “My Emma, Summer 1946.” Maddie returns to her Las Vegas home and solicits the help of an investigator at her firm to find out more about Emma. The novel intercuts Maddie’s 2003 discoveries with Emma’s 1950s diary entries; the latter, along with other expository narrative, brings to light how Frank came into Emma’s life in Nebraska and show the ramifications of her becoming pregnant for a second time.

Zaiss has crafted a page-turner that not only spurs readers’ interest in finding out what happened to Emma, but also offers multidimensional portraits of other major characters. Emma’s mother, for instance, is described at one point as being “somewhat mechanical...like she’s following an instruction manual requiring precise compliance,” and the author offers engaging insight into this demeanor as the character steps up to assist her daughter through a life-changing decision. Frank, who’s villainous at times, receives a backstory that believably underpins his actions. Emma’s second pregnancy, however, is the novel’s stunning dramatic centerpiece. Zaiss presents a woman navigating a shaky and sometimes-frightening marriage and dealing with male doctors who may or may not be right about how to handle her condition; the book also addresses the stringent rules surrounding when and how women could obtain abortions during this era. The novel also portrays other marriages, including, thankfully, some good ones, such as that of Emma’s best friend, Patsy. Another important figure initially resists Maddie’s attempts at connection due to her own pain and harrowing backstory. The novel goes down some less-interesting byroads; Maddie’s descriptions of the rather mundane unraveling of her own marriage, for example, are eclipsed by Emma’s more striking account. Still, Maddie’s determination to find the truth brings the novel to a touching, healing conclusion, with Maddie realizing that Emma “has triggered in me a deeper appreciation, a conviction, that my life matters.”

A suspenseful revelation of hidden family history and a celebration of female empowerment.