
The Girl in the Scrapbook is not the type of book I would normally read. But I was looking for something different, and so picked it up.
Author Carolyn Ruffles tells the story of three women—two contemporary and one ghost. Although all three have a voice, I would consider Emily the main character, as her quest to know about her birth family gets the ball rolling. Throughout her childhood she was often visited by a silent ghost—a young woman dressed in black—whom she named Molly.
Molly returns to Emily as an adult after Emily discovers she had been adopted and needs to find her birth parents. In going through a scrapbook her birthmother left her, Emily discovers a cottage that has been recently turned into a bed and breakfast by Jennifer. Emily visits the cottage with her young son, and discovers that Jennifer has been seeing “Molly” since she opened her business. Together they discover that the ghost’s real name is Norah, and that Norah has a story to tell and people to reunite.
I’m so glad I picked up this book. It was an enjoyable read, a story well told with beautiful imagery, strong characters, and a nice ending.