Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Gilmore Girls meets Oppenheimer in this dual-timeline family saga, set in a Manhattan Project town, about a granddaughter who uncovers her grandmother’s nuclear-age secrets and her own toxic inheritance.
What is the half-life of O’Toole family secrets?
In 2013, Saige is stuck living with her Granny Rosamond in her beige wasteland of a hometown. Desperate for a diagnosis and cure for her mysterious ailments, she uncovers more than she bargained for—a hot rock that shouldn’t exist and a past Rosamond refuses to explain.
That past takes place in the 1940s, when 50,000 people move to an eastern Washington town that doesn’t exist to build something they can’t name. Rosamond is one of them, eager to do her bit for the war effort—and find a husband. When she falls for a charming engineer, she envisions a perfect life. But as the hot war turns cold and her ever-expanding family becomes increasingly troubled, she discovers this nuclear town is no utopia, and she must decide whether to cling to the destructive facade of domestic bliss or face the truth that could save them all.
When Rosamond’s past collides with Saige’s search for healing, half-buried secrets—from the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere to the wounds within their own family—can no longer be ignored. Can Saige discover the truth and heal herself without destroying her grandmother’s life?
Decisions made today may have an impact for generations to come. That proves to be the case in a dual storyline spotlighting a multi-generational family.
Author Shannon St. Hilaire pulls inspiration from history for The Hanford Necklace. Rosamond finds an exciting new beginning in 1945 as she moves to an eastern Washington town.
Fast forward 68 years, and Rosamond’s granddaughter, Saige, is desperately trying to discover answers about her mysterious illness. Little does she realize the answer has been in front of her all along.
The poignant story brings to life a forgotten time in our nation’s history, when innocent people unknowingly put themselves and their loved ones at risk, not realizing the materials they touched would prove to be toxic.
There’s a solid sense of frustration between Saige and Rosamond as the quest for answers continues.
The Hanford Necklace highlights a complicated legacy with devastating consequences.
Shannon St. Hilaire writes about forgotten histories and the fascinating women who lived through them. She is the author of To Look Upon The Sun, The Ones Who Stayed, and The Hanford Necklace. Her short work placed first in the 2020 Forge Flash Nonfiction Competition and has appeared in literary journals such as New Delta, X-R-A-Y, HAD, and Five South. She serves on the board of directors for The People’s Colloquium, a non-profit that supports free education in the arts and humanities, and lives just outside of Portland, Oregon.
