THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER

The love story between James and Véronique is the heart of this
tale of passion and conflict. The time is 1992. The place is Montreal,
Quebec, 60 miles from the US border. Canada is in danger of
splintering as French-Canadian factions renew Quebec's fight to gain
independence from Canada.

Wild and beautiful, Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical French-
Canadian separatist who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering
a prominent politician in 1970, shares her father's cause. She harbors
no moral quandaries about flouting laws against smuggling, thievery,
or terror to achieve political goals. James Phénix, a fluently bi-lingual
journalist of French-Canadian heritage, inhabits both worlds comfortably,
and opposes Quebec separatism. He loves her desperately, fears
for her safety, and begs her repeatedly to halt her dangerous criminal
pursuits.

Their politically charged love affair is challenged further when James
publishes his interview with her father, who has been released from
prison. Véronique, stung by his betrayal, joins an extremist cell taking
her further down a path of violence.

At the same time, James's older sister Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis
Orphans, is part of a coalition demanding justice and reparations
for their suffering in the 1950's when Quebec's orphanages were converted
to mental hospitals. This heinous political act of Premier Maurice
Duplessis affected 5000 children in the province.

We met Elodie and the Phénix family in The Home for Unwanted Girls
when Elodie and her parents fought to find one other. Two decades
later they still struggle to bind their wounds.

For the Phénix and Fortin families, the political has become personal.
Questions are large: When do morals outweigh principles? When are
stakes too high? Véronique's father spent most of her childhood in
jail because he sacrificed his family and his future for his “cause.” Will
Véronique make the same choice?

Joanna Goodman is the author of five acclaimed novels. Her previous novel The Home for Unwanted Girls was on the US trade paperback bestseller list and debuted on the Canadian bestseller list at No. 1. It held a position in the top ten for seven months.