before we were yours: a novel  <p>the blockbuster hit - a <i>new york times</i>, <i>usa today</i>, <i>wall street journal</i>, and <i>publishers weekly</i> best seller</p> <p><b>look for lisa wingate’s powerful new historical novel, </b><b><i>the book of lost friends, </i></b><b>available now!</b> </p> <p><b>“poignant, engrossing.” (</b><b><i>people</i></b><b>)</b> <b> “lisa wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power.” (paula mclain)</b></p> <p>memphis, 1939. twelve-year-old rill foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s mississippi river shantyboat. but when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, rill is left in charge - until strangers arrive in force. wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a tennessee children’s home society orphanage, the foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth. at the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.</p> <p>aiken, south carolina, present day. born into wealth and privilege, avery stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. but when avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.</p> <p>based on one of america’s most notorious real-life scandals - in which georgia tann, director of a memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country - lisa wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.</p> <p><i>publishers weekly</i>’s number three longest-running best seller of 2017 winner of the southern book prize if all arkansas read the same book selection</p>