Before Dorothy

Who was Auntie Em before she was an aunt, before she became the prairie housewife, caring for Dorothy? In this novel, Hazel Gaynor brings young Emily vividly to life: working at Marshall Field’s department store in Chicago and flitting through the roaring 20s with her sister, Annie. But secrets create a wedge between the sisters, and even the birth of baby Dorothy isn’t enough to reunite them.

When Emily falls in love with Henry Gale, they relocate to Kansas. Gaynor depicts their life there with color and drama. At first, the prairie is startlingly beautiful, and the wheat grows plentifully. But too many farmers plow up too much land, topsoil is lost forever, and the dustbowl years commence.

The author, an Irish writer, gives Emily an Irish history, bringing some of that folklore into the tale. Many wonderful “easter eggs” are dropped throughout the tale, hinting at the origins of the tin man, scarecrow, lion, and red shoes. Unfortunately, there is too much repetition throughout, with some tropes being emphasized over and over. The novel could have used a more careful editing but will appeal to fans of the Wizard of Oz, including readers who enjoyed Finding Dorothy.