by Sarah McCoy
First published 2015
Sarah Brown discovers her paintings can save lives when she begins hiding Underground Railroad maps within her artwork. The daughter of abolitionist John Brown, Sarah translates coded messages from slave quilts into secret routes for freedom seekers heading north. Her mission becomes more urgent after learning she cannot have children of her own. As civil war approaches, Sarah must choose between her safety and her calling. In the present day, Eden struggles with infertility while renovating an old suburban home with her husband. She uncovers a porcelain doll head in the root cellar, a remnant from Underground Railroad operations that once carried hidden messages through dangerous territory. The discovery connects Eden to Sarah across time, as both women grapple with motherhood, purpose, and the meaning of family. Their parallel stories explore how women find ways to nurture and protect when traditional paths close to them.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, historical-romance, 21st-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, parallel-stories
Setting: North
Period: Civil War, Present Day
300 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: infertility