The Book of Lost Friends

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a new novel inspired by little-known historical events: a dramatic story of three young women on a journey in search of family amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who rediscovers their story and its vital connection to her own students' lives. In her distinctive voice, Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual Lost Friends advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold off. In Louisiana, 1875, three young women—Lavinia, Juneau Jane, and Hannie—embark on a perilous quest. Lavinia, a pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation, and Juneau Jane, her illegitimate Creole half-sister, are joined by Hannie, Lavinia's former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, navigating dangerous roads filled with vigilantes and remnants of a lost war. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is about inheritance and desperation, while for Hannie, torn from her family, it reignites the hope of reuniting with her long-lost loved ones. In Louisiana, 1987, first-year teacher Benedetta Silva takes a job at a struggling rural school, hoping to alleviate her student debt. In the tiny town of Augustine, Louisiana, she grapples with the lives of her poverty-stricken students and uncov