The River Was Waiting: (2 Gorne Trilogy)

"In this age, where violence has become normalized, The River Was Waiting is a must read." Michael Fryd, author of My Mother's War The year is 1963. Raped by a supposedly respectable older man, graduate student Mabel Gorne flees New England for Manhattan. She's unaware that the perpetrator died in a murder-suicide. If she reveals the truth, will she be blamed for the crime? Mabel carries another dark secret. She's pregnant. Her rapist is the father. With abortion confined to shady doctors, back alleys, and coat-hangers, how will she endure her unwanted pregnancy? In this sequel to They Believed They Were Safe, Mabel vacillates between hope and fear, struggling to find equilibrium in the midst of a huge, uncaring city. Will Mabel find the courage she desperately wants and needs? Can she accept genuine love and kindness or will her traumatic history engulf her?

Review :
"The River Was Waiting is a fearless look at the perils of being a woman in America, and a penetrating portrait of one such woman trapped in a too-familiar crisis far beyond her own making. Although it's set in the tumultuous 1960's, its observations and insights are especially valid right this very minute." Jon Clinch, author of Finn and The General and Julia "For those of us who shivered with fear and horror, reading Cordelia Biddle's brilliant novel, They Believed They Were Safe, in her sequel, The River Was Waiting, Biddle masterfully examines the impact of trauma beyond the initial act of violence, the open wounds that fester and never fully heal. In this age, where violence has become normalized, The River Was Waiting is a must read." Michael Fryd, author of My Mother's War "At times harrowing, The River Was Waiting is always touching and effective, a novel that deals with important issues not only to women but to all of us. Cordelia Frances Biddle has written an essential and heartfelt sequel to her 2024 novel, They Believed They Were Safe, one that should be required reading!" Jonathan Santlofer, bestselling author of The Last Mona Lisa "In an era in which we so need this, Biddle unabashedly asks the big questions about society's ills - historical and lingering - all wrapped in the compelling story of a young woman. I cared about Mabel and was so deeply moved by all the sorrows and victories found in her story. Biddle is a brave and a compassionate author. Brava!" Robin Black, author of Life Drawing