After spending years in a Catholic-run orphanage in 1950s small-town Canada, Rebecca Dolores Kingsley, better known as Dot, has grown into a lonely but spirited young girl with a lot to say and a huge heart full of love to give. All she’s ever wanted is a family to call her own, and when a sullen, freckled-faced boy named Kenny arrives on the orphanage’s doorstep, she immediately takes him under her wing, lavishing her new little friend with all of the sweetly maternal affection that was never shown to her.

But the happiness and sense of purpose that Dot’s found while caring for Kenny are soon threatened. Her blossoming womanhood has unfortunately attracted unwanted attention from her guardians and fellow orphans alike, and despite her best efforts to protect him from some of the harsher realities of institutional life, Kenny accidentally gets caught up in the crossfire.

Now, in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save the boy she’s come to think of as her own child, Dot will have to resort to playing what she calls “the secret game.” But the stakes of this game are impossibly high, and when the unthinkable happens, she finds herself faced with a heart-wrenching decision that no mother, either real or imagined, should ever have to make.

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“This is one of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read. Subtle, beautiful, terrible, and powerful in equal measure.”

BOOKBUB REVIEW

“Heartbreakingly beautiful. This book was so incredibly well-written I immediately purchased another book by the author that I cannot wait to read.”

GOODREADS REVIEW

“A powerful and emotional read.”

AMAZON REVIEW