Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman’s vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way.

Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.

Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.

In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been given an opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.

Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.

Kindle Edition, 464 pages

Expected publication February 10, 2026

by Simon & Schuster CA

5/5 stars

The Keeper of Lost Children is a moving historical fiction novel that brings to light a remarkable, largely overlooked chapter of post–World War II history. Given the author's 2 previous books I knew I was in for a captivating read.

Inspired by the life events that explores the aftermath of World War 2 through a couple points of view. One perspective follows an American woman living in Germany with her husband, longing to become a mother but unable to conceive.  Her desire for motherhood becomes inseparable from the children society has abandoned.

Interwoven with this is the perspective of a teenage girl growing up on a farm in Maryland, yearning for more than the life she has been handed. Her coming-of-age story is marked by determination, resilience, and a quiet but powerful sense of purpose. This viewpoint adds depth and hope, showing how ambition and compassion can take root even in the most ordinary of places.

Keeper of Lost Children is a story of family, hope and how one woman decided that these children mattered. It was well written and researched and now weeks after I finished it has stayed with me.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster CA for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.