Seven novels that explore the lives of wayward youth

Susan Wiggs is the author of more than fifty novels, including the beloved Lakeshore Chronicles series and the recent New York Times bestsellers The Lost and Found Bookshop, The Oysterville Sewing Circle, and Family Tree. Her award-winning books have been translated into two dozen languages. She lives with her husband on an island in Washington State’s Puget Sound.

Her newest novel is Wayward Girls.

At Lit Hub Wiggs tagged seven "books that offer a haunting, unsparing look at hidden histories and the enduring spirit of those who survived." One title on the list:

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Set during the Great Depression, this epic follows four orphans who escape the Lincoln School, a punitive boarding school for Native American children. As they canoe down the Mississippi River, the “wayward” group seeks a place to call home. The wild, addictively entertaining adventure is grounded in the grim reality of cultural genocide practiced at residential schools and the search for spiritual belonging.

Read about another novel on Wiggs's list.

--Marshal Zeringue