The Home for Wayward Girls

Bradley debuts with a stirring account of a teenage girl’s escape from her abusive foster parents and her attempt to build a new life as an adult. The nonlinear narrative shuffles between the foster home, somewhere out West on a ranch in the mid-1990s, to present-day New York City. After Loretta’s foster father, William, assaults her one morning before she leaves for school, Loretta, almost 18 and fearing for her life, conspires with her foster sister Elsie, 16, to flee. She begins memorizing maps and atlases, and the two girls make their break with help from Loretta’s teacher. Bradley then skips forward to New York City, where Loretta is a social worker and struggles with anxiety, and her nice-guy husband marvels at how differently she turned out from her parents. In flashbacks, Loretta mentors her younger foster sisters (including Elsie), showing them how to navigate the house rules. Though the timeline can be tough to follow, Bradley shines in her portrayal of Loretta working up to her moment of escape, and in showing how Loretta walks on eggshells before finally standing up for herself. It’s a bit bumpy, but heartfelt nonetheless. (Apr.)