u/OverEncumbered486

Thought you all might like this exchange in a text group with a few of my coworkers. Funniest part is, I'm the only one on reddit, so the others have no idea about this sub or the picture that started it.

The River Knows Your Name is a historical fiction told in dual storylines set in 1934 and 1971. It tells the story of Becca, a young mother struggling through The Great Depression in Mississippi, and Nell, 42 years old in 1971, on a hunt to find answers to her mysterious past.

The mystery truly begins for Nell when, as a child, she and her younger sister, Evie, find a birth certificate for Evie that lists another woman as her mother. The two keep this knowledge a secret until 1971, when Nell can no longer stand not knowing the truth, and can no longer live with hazy memories of abrupt moves in early childhood. Their mother shuts down any conversation of the past, so Nell visits Mississippi from North Carolina, where the family had eventually settled, to investigate on her own.

This book is utterly heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. The characters, especially Becca and Nell, are very well-developed and sympathetic. The depictions of Becca's struggles during the Depression and the struggles of those around her and the things people will do in times of desperation made it very difficult to put the book down.

The River Knows Your Name is a testament to a mother's love, and a testament to the love we share with the families we make of the people life puts in our paths.

*Edited to fix a misspelling of Mississippi

Clove on the left, Nutmeg on the right. My friend calls them The Spice Girls.

Why on earth would you choose Nextdoor as the place to post something like this?