I enjoyed reading this book. Emma has traveled to Nova Scotia to do research on the infamous Gaugin family. Her interest in the history of the family is personal as well as academic. A lot of family secrets are uncovered as Emma discovers more about the family and herself. The story was good and book is well written. Enjoy

I really appreciate the publisher letting me read this novel. I found it was a good read, the characters were engaging and the plot held my interest

Many thanks to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing Company for this absorbing fictional novel in return for an honest review. It richly evokes the small towns and inhabitants and the forests and woodlands of Nova Scotia. This was a beautifully written, sensitive portrayal of the repercussions of authorities removing children from their neglectful and impoverished parents and separating brothers, sisters, and cousins from each other.

This is a work of fiction inspired by the notorious Goler Clan who lived in isolation outside the university town of Wolfville in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Police raided their compound in the forest in the mid-1980s, and 16 adults were arrested on charges of incest, sexual child abuse, and rape. There were about 136 charges in all. There had been over a century of inbreeding, and the men knew no other way of life. They were the victims of generations of isolation and incest, poverty, no education and isolation from the norms of society. They had little understanding of the charges against them when arrested. Many of the children attended school, filthy and poorly dressed, and their complaints about their abusive home life were largely ignored. Finally, a young teenaged girl was listened to at school, resulting in the police and child welfare being alerted.

Much of the factual story can be found by googling the Goler Clan. I read previously two books based on the case: the non-fiction 'On South Mountain' and a riveting work of fiction, 'Our Daily Bread.' Having grown up in Nova Scotia and worked in the area for a couple of years, I was unaware of the case until I read these books.

In this story, the family name has been changed to Gaugin, and the location is in the South Shore area of Nova Scotia. We aren't told any definite family connection with the Golers, but it does mention the raid on the Gaugin compound in 1991 was influenced by the 1985 arrests near Wolfville. Eight arrests were made on the charges of theft and drugs. The children were taken by child welfare for their protection. Emma was one of the filthy, neglected children separated from her family at a young age. The Gaugin children became wards of Child Welfare and were placed in foster homes and group homes. Some were adopted, and their names changed. Emma was lucky to be adopted by her caring foster family and moved to Alberta. She is studying for her Master's degree in anthropology. She intends to research the history of the Gaugin Clan for her thesis. Her name is now that of her adoptive parents, and she fears people in Nova Scotia will learn she was once a member of the Gaugin criminal family.

Emma has suffered anxiety attacks since early childhood. She now lives a life of comfort but worries about what happened to her siblings. She is uncomfortable in social situations and often blurts out crude and rude comments, a defence mechanism to keep people at a distance. Although her personality is understandable, it does not make her a particularly likeable protagonist.

On arrival in Nova Scotia, she introduces herself as a student from Alberta researching the Gaugin's history for her thesis. She stays at a Halifax hotel, venturing out by car to interview people who might have known the family before their dispersal. She visits the ruins of her old family home deep in the woods. She speculates that the Gaugins may have hidden there to escape the expulsion of the Acadians centuries before, but without proof. Her first interview is with a widower and painter, the husband of a woman who reported the 1991 raid on the Gaugin homestead. By coincidence, the couple was close to Em's sister after becoming too old for placement in another foster home. She had been placed in several foster homes but never adopted. They guided the older teenager with affection and understanding and cared for her despite some bad choices.

As a result of this interview, Emma meets her sister, Heather, who is married with children and goes by her husband's last name. Despite a harder upbringing, Heather seems to be better adjusted and has put the past behind her. Em has read in the archives a gossipy old diary where the writer suggests in the 1800s a Gaugin may have married his sister. This sends Emma into more anxiety attacks and a state of anger. Heather urges Em not to dwell on the past. Heather invites Em to a dinner party where she will meet her biological mother. The artist who put the sisters in touch will also be there and Heather's husband and children. True to form, Emma, blurts out a comment offensive to everyone. Heather has long reconciled with their mother, but it is not in Emma's nature to do so. She has also been secretive and offended a man who seems to love her despite her flaws.

Her research finished, she heads back to her Alberta home after learning a lot about herself and forgiveness. She has become a better person and plans to defend her thesis and return to Nova Scotia to revisit new friends and old family. This was a well-written, compelling and painful psychological drama of poverty, family separation and hardships, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

I received One Who Has Been Here Before as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Emma Weaver is returning to her childhood home in Nova Scotia to study the infamous, extended Gaugin family as part of her master's thesis. Long the subjects of disdain and suspicion, the mysterious family scattered to the four winds decades earlier when the children were removed from the family "compound" for neglect. However, she has reasons other than mere historical inquiry--she herself is a Gaugin,dopted as a young child but curious about the past whose effects she feels even today. As she pieces together her fragmented memories and makes contact with those whose memories are clearer. Emma begins to come to terms with her own history and move forward.

This was a lovely, bittersweet story, about the making and breaking of families, and the effects of trauma on children decades after the fact. It's not full of major twists and turns, just a woman uncovering her past. The characters are beautifully drawn and the intimacy of Nova Scotian life is vibrant and moving. Would highly recommend.