The Women of Oak Ridge

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Synopsis

In the hills of Tennessee, two women work at a Manhattan Project site during World War II and uncover truths that irrevocably change their lives in this captivating new story from award-winning Southern fiction author Michelle Shocklee.

1944
Maebelle Willett arrives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eager to begin her new government job and send money home to her impoverished family. She knows little about the work she will be doing, but she’s told it will help America win the war. Not all is what it seems, however. Though Oak Ridge employees are forbidden from discussing their jobs, Mae’s roommate begins sharing disturbing information, then disappears without a trace. Mae desperately attempts to find her but instead comes face-to-face with a life-altering revelation—one that comes at significant cost.

1979
Laurel Willet is a graduate student in Boston when she learns about the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where thousands unknowingly worked on the atomic bomb. Intrigued because she knows her Aunt Mae was employed there, Laurel decides to spend the summer with her aunt, hoping to add a family connection to her thesis research. But Mae adamantly refuses to talk about her time in the secret city. Mae’s friends, however, offer to share their experiences, propelling Laurel on her path to uncovering the truth about a missing woman. As Laurel works to put the pieces together, the hidden pain and guilt Mae has tried so hard to bury comes to light . . . with potentially disastrous consequences.

Synopsis source: The StoryGraph

Review

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, WWII
HB&W Rating: 3 stars
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I waffled back and forth on this book. One the one hand, I enjoyed learning about life in Oak Bridge. The setting was well-researched and richly developed. I found that I was more invested in the 1940s timeline than I was the 1970s from both an action and a historical standpoint. There was just more going on that interested me and I found myself eager to quickly get through the 1970s chapters in order to get back to the 1940s. 

At first, I found Mae to be interesting and sharp with high moral fiber. This made her later actions (and inactions) irritate me because even with fear motivating her, her actions later did not fit what we’d been shown. There were so many moments and opportunities that she passed by, maybe due to fear or naïveté, but as sharp as she seemed at the start of the book just came across as stupid. 

I also didn’t care for the way Mae and Harris kept indicating to Laurel that she should put this new weeks-old relationship ahead of all her plans. There were other things that stuck in my craw of a similar nature so maybe this is a me-problem, seeing this time period through the lens of the 21st century. Still, it rankled. Also, it got quite preachy by the end which also rankled. 

While the romance of Laurel and Jonas was ruined for me because of the above, my romantic heart was happy for Mae in the end. 

I liked it, I’m glad I read it, but I wish I’d liked it more.

Until next time,

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