The Lies They Told

Wiseman (The Lost Girls of Willowbrook) draws on the history of the eugenics movement in America for this harrowing story. Upon arriving at Ellis Island in 1928, the German Conti family is torn apart when immigration officials deem teenager Enzo unfit for work, forcing him and his mother to return to Germany. Left alone in the U.S. are Enzo’s unmarried sister, Lena, and her young daughter, Ella. Silas Wolfe, the distant relative and widower who paid Enzo’s and his mother’s passage so they could work at his home in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, reluctantly agrees to take on Lena and Ella instead. Lena’s hope for a better life soars until she learns from Silas that government officials and eugenicists are seeking to declare him and his children feeble-minded, as part of a scheme to take his land. The eugenicists also target Lena, accusing her of promiscuity, leading her to make life-altering choices to protect her daughter. The fast-paced plot gains momentum as Lena grapples with her sense of powerlessness. It’s a clear-eyed and resonant portrait of an ignominious era. Agent: Michael Carr, Veritas Literary. (Aug.)