Book Review: Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor
About the book
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home…
When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home. But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is no place for a child.
On the unforgiving plains, Emily's courage is endlessly tested. The prolonged drought and relentless dust storms threaten to destroy everything – including her home and her marriage.
Can Emily overcome her grief and let Dorothy heal her heart?
From the promise of Chicago in the 1920s to the harsh beauty of the Kansas prairie during the dust bowl of the 1930s, this is a story of family, duty and one woman’s journey of self-discovery.
Why we love it
It’s always interesting to see familiar stories reimagined through the eyes of an alternative character, especially one with a limited voice in the original telling. Before Dorothy by Kildare-based author Hazel Gaynor does exactly that. This is Auntie Em’s story, not Dorothy’s, and it’s a million miles away from the technicolour magic of The Wizard of Oz.
Set against the harsh realities of life in 1920s and 30s Chicago and Kansas, the novel tells the story of Emily Gale, Dorothy’s aunt, reimagining her as one of the many young Irish immigrant women searching for a better life in the United States in the early 20th century.
With her husband Henry, Emily moves to a small Kansas farming community where life is, to begin with at least, everything the newly-weds dreamed it would be - a beautiful home, profitable crops, and a circle of friends who support them.
But when they lose their home in a tornado and their savings in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, life becomes increasingly difficult for the pair. By the time Dorothy comes to live with them, after her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Kansas is in the grips of the the worst of the Depression, exacerbated by years of drought, violent dust storms and failing crops.
Emily is the most brilliant character, compelling and engaging from the very first page. Her transition from a young, vibrant Irish shopgirl, madly in love and with dreams of grand adventure, into a tired Kansas farmer, old before her years and worn down by grief, loss and disappointment, is just heartbreaking. You long for her to find joy again and when Dorothy comes into her life, you can’t help but hope that the young girl’s presence and vivid imagination will revitalise Emily’s own hopes and dreams.
Dorothy herself plays a relatively small part in this story but there are enough references to The Wizard of Oz - a toy lion, a tin man figurine, an emerald-coloured stone of Connemara marble - to keep even the most die-hard fan happy. These little easter eggs are subtly scattered throughout the narrative in a way that always feels natural rather than forced.
In the unlikely event that any reader might be unfamiliar with The Wizard of Oz or its many adaptations, including the recent Wicked films, Before Dorothy is still completely compelling as a standalone story. From the challenges of life as an Irish immigrant in Chicago to the physical and emotional toll of prairie life, it's a beautifully atmospheric novel about a very particular moment in time.
A story of hope and failure, of family, sacrifice and the true meaning of home, this is an emotional and heartfelt read that's perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction or character-driven stories.
