The Orphan Collector–a review

A novel of love and resilience in the face of tribulation and despair

Fear and grief, two of the most powerful emotions we face, can lead desperate people to despicable acts.  Set during the 1918 Flu Epidemic in Philadelphia, The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman gives readers a glimpse of this overwhelming desperation. The story follows Pia Lange, the child of German immigrants, and Bernice Groves, a bereft mother and widow. In the opening scene, Pia, her mother, and her baby brothers attend the Liberty Loan Parade, a gathering of some 200,000 shortly before the end of World War I. Pia and her family feel compelled to show their patriotism because of the prejudice they have faced as German immigrants. But as she endures the crowded streets, Pia feels something very wrong. Although she doesn’t know it, the gathering served to spread the Spanish Flu (as it was then called) throughout the city. Within a week, 4,500 people had died from this influenza, and 47,000 were sick. By the end of the month, some 12,000 people had died, among them Pia’s mother and Bernice’s baby son. Thirteen year old Pia is left to care for her twin baby brothers. When she inevitably runs out of food, she makes the difficult choice to leave the relative safety of their small apartment to find something for the boys to eat. But the babies are toddling now, and she is afraid they will hurt themselves in her absence. So she waits until they are napping and locks them in a cupboard. She expects to be right back.

Meanwhile, Bernice, suffering from overwhelming grief at the loss of her own baby, sees Pia, a hated immigrant, leave, and hears the babies crying. She takes them and pretends they are her own.

Thus begins the intertwined lives of Pia, desperate to find her brothers, and Bernice, equally desperate to replace her lost child. The contrast between the two is remarkable. Pia is imprisoned in an orphanage, and suffers hunger, neglect, and beatings. Through it all, she maintains her courage and her sense of right. She always helps other unfortunate orphans whenever she can. Bernice, on the other hand, lets her prejudice and grief reshape her into a woman who will do anything, even steal and sell babies, to keep her secret safe.

In this emotionally fraught novel, readers learn of the devastation caused by the Influenza Pandemic, and of the inadequate and abusive institutions charged with caring for the overwhelming number of orphans left behind. Readers will also see the enduring power of love and the healing capacity of kindness.

I give this book a 5 star rating, for the powerfully drawn characters, the skillfully woven plot, and the fascinating historic details. There are many lessons to be learned from this gripping novel of dark times and human cruelty. In spite of the sobering truths this book reveals, chief among those lessons is one of hope. In all the trials and tribulations one may face, resilience and fortitude matter. Love can overcome fear, and kindness can ameliorate grief. These are lessons the world today would do well to remember.