The Inheritance of Being

by Cora Lockhart

Nearly forty years ago, Lux Madigan’s twin sister, Nix, vanished from the asylum where they were institutionalized during the Eugenics Movement. Lux is haunted by her disappearance but more by what happened in the moments before. Or at least what she recalls happening. Approaching sixty with a damaged memory and a fatal heart condition, Lux’s time is running out. In desperate belief that her sister is still alive, she spends her days searching Cape Perpetua, a city of twins that according to legend was cursed when the Twin Sisters ran ashore in the mid-twentieth century. But the hole in Lux’s heart continues to grow and the screams of the child that only she seems to hear are getting louder. With a deadly storm headed toward Cape Perpetua, she must find Nix and beg forgiveness before it’s too late. When a letter Lux writes to the editor of the local paper lands in the hands of Victoria Belmont, a widowed journalist who is struggling with a life-changing decision and ghosts from her own past, the atrocities of the Eugenics Movement are brought into the light. Determined to find out what happened to the missing girl because of a personal connection to the asylum, Victoria will first need to discover what happened to Lux and solve the mystery behind her strange fugues and the numbers carved into her wrist. As memories resurface and long-buried secrets are unearthed, both women must come to terms with who they are and what they have done. They must remember in order to forget.

Genres: Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2012

About the author

Cora Lockhart was born in Cleveland, Ohio sometime before today (but definitely not yesterday) to gypsies who belonged to a carnival. She grew up (and threw up) on the Tea Cups and read fortunes on the Spider as it crawled all over the U.S. When the carnival collapsed (along with her parents and the Zipper) she went to live with her grandparents. Currently, she divides her time. Just kidding. She abhors math.

Reviews

[Marlene Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the second chapter I was enthralled. Cora Lockhart is a great word smith. She spins a tale that wraps around you and holds you in. These characters are very real and Cora does a superb job with dialogue. I have read some of her short stories and she carries her superior writing skill through them as well. Please tell your friends. This is a book worth reading.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One very good story.

Wow, this was one of the best books I have read in a long time. The flow of the story was beautiful. I love a good mystery. I love anything to do with ghost stories too. Highly recommended...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I won a free copy through First Reads.

This was a fantastic read. I actually stayed up half the night to finish it because I had to know how it was going to end. Cora Lockhart, while writing a fiction piece, has brought a seriously nasty issue to light. Until last year I honestly had no idea about the eugenics movement until I had heard a story on the local news regarding the forced sterilization of quite a large number of North Carolina residents. The characters in The Inheritance of Being were very real to me and unfortunately, despite being a creation of Lockhart's imagination, I know there are real Dr. Warners out there in the world.

Despite the fact that Lux Madigan betrayed her sister, Nix, I loved her through the entire book. I think it's very apropos that her psychoses did not really develop until her forced sterilization, despite the fact that she spent nearly her entire early life in the asylum.

I don't want to give too much away because this is something you should really read for yourself. I think it was very creative of the author that all of the major characters were intertwined. From Dr. Warner to his daughter to Lux to Michael to the maintenance men, etc. It was a very complicated knot but it was presented in a way that I had no problems following anything. She has even managed to answer every single question and left me wondering nothing at the end.

My only complaint is that it was a bit difficult from chapter to chapter to figure out who the speaker was. We switched from Lux to Victoria to Una with the reader not knowing exactly who it was until partway through the first few paragraphs. The fact that each spoke with a different style helped but a little note to indicate who it actually was at the start of the chapter would have been great.

I really like the supernatural twist and I think it will help to draw in readers. All in all this was a very creative exploration of a very sensitive issue. I cannot wait to read the next book from Cora Lockhart.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, probably 3.5ish. Poorly edited, lots of typos, misused words.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspenseful, atmospheric gothic, full of colorful characters and unexpected plot twists, with much to say about the horrors of eugenics and mental asylums. A debut author to watch!

[Sam Braswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read that keeps you guessing til the end.