Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Orphan Train meets Before We Were Yours meets Water for Elephants in this compelling multigenerational novel of survival, love, and the families we make.
In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves. But as the years go by, the cracks in her little world begin to show. And when teenage Cecily meets and falls in love with a young roustabout named Lucky, she finds her life thrown onto an entirely unexpected—and dangerous—course.
In 2015, Cecily is now 94 and living a quiet life in Minnesota, with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. But when her family decides to surprise her with an at-home DNA test, the unexpected results not only bring to light the tragic love story that Cecily has kept hidden for decades but also throw into question everything about the family she’s raised and claimed as her own for nearly seventy years. Cecily and everyone in her life must now decide who they really are and what family—and forgiveness—really mean.
Sweeping through a long period of contemporary history, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is an immersive, compelling, and entertaining family drama centered around one remarkable woman and her determination to survive.
How long should a family secret stay buried? What if you’ve kept it for more than half a century?
Author Ellen Baker presents readers with a multi-generational story centering around an aging matriarch whose origins come to light thanks to the gift of an at-home DNA test. The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson puts the meaning of “family” to the test.
Beginning with her placement in a Chicago orphanage in 1924, the story continues as Cecily is sold to a traveling circus thanks to her gymnastic abilities. The insight into her new life is filled with rich detail that makes the time period come to life.
Fast forward to the present, where Cecily is surrounded by three generations of her family and opens the door to a past that will even surprise her.
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson tells the story of a brave woman determined to carve out a slice of happiness in spite of her circumstances.
Ellen Baker is the author of Keeping the House and I Gave My Heart to Know This. She has worked as a bookseller and event coordinator at an independent bookstore. Originally from the Upper Midwest, she currently lives in Maine.
