From the publisher:
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption. Set in the turbulent Vietnam era in the All-American city of Buffalo, New York, six girls are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school.
In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.
Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.
Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.
Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.
Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.
Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.
Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.
Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.
Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption…and justice.
https://amzn.to/4bvMJIU
Wiggs’s new novel (after The Twelve Dogs of Christmas) is compelling historical fiction set in Buffalo, NY, during the late 1960s. The story primarily takes place in the Good Shepherd Home for Wayward Girls, a reform school run by nuns, which operates like a Dickensian workhouse. The story follows a few young women who are there for various reasons, including perceived protection from abuse, sexuality, and family circumstances. The main character, Mairin, is sent there when her stepfather tries to rape her; her brother is being deployed to Vietnam, and her mother is a strict Catholic who thinks the nuns will protect her daughter. Little does she know about the harsh conditions the girls face, including forced manual labor in a Magdalene laundry, nightly confinement, and severe punishments for rule infractions. Mairin and a few of the girls become friends, and eventually, some of them escape. The book follows these girls throughout their lives, including the traumatic aftereffects of their childhoods and their subsequent pursuit of justice.
VERDICT Wiggs offers a poignant and enlightening look into a dark chapter of recent history in this powerful and unforgettable read. Readalikes include The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead and This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.
©Library Journal, 2025
7/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
WAYWARD GIRLS by Susan Wiggs. William Morrow (July 15, 2025). ISBN: 978-0063118270. 400p.
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