Super Short Summary

In The Foundling, Ann Leary's protagonist, Mary, an orphan with a traumatic past, is hired as a secretary at Nettleton State Village, a Pennsylvania institution for "feebleminded" women in the late 1920s. Adjusting to her new role, she uncovers dark truths about the institution and becomes entangled in efforts to expose and rectify systemic abuses, ultimately finding solidarity and redemption. The novel discusses eugenics, forced institutionalization, racism, and child sexual abuse.