Undiscovered Country

by Kelly O'Connor McNees

An extraordinary novel portraying one of the greatest untold love stories in American politics.

In 1932, New York City, top reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickok starts each day with a front page byline―and finishes it swigging bourbon and planning her next big scoop.

But an assignment to cover FDR’s campaign―and write a feature on his wife, Eleanor―turns Hick’s hard-won independent life on its ear. Soon her work, and the secret entanglement with the new first lady, will take her from New York and Washington to Scotts Run, West Virginia, where impoverished coal miners’ families wait in fear that the New Deal’s promised hope will pass them by. Together, Eleanor and Hick imagine how the new town of Arthurdale could change the fate of hundreds of lives. But doing what is right does not come cheap, and Hick will pay in ways she never could have imagined.

Undiscovered Country artfully mixes fact and fiction to portray the intense relationship between this unlikely pair. Inspired by the historical record, including the more than three thousand letters Hick and Eleanor exchanged over a span of thirty years, McNees tells this story through Hick’s tough, tender, and unforgettable voice. A remarkable portrait of Depression-era America, this novel tells the poignant story of how a love that was forced to remain hidden nevertheless changed history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, LGBT, Book Club, Biographical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Kelly O’Connor McNees’s award-winning novels transport readers to pivotal moments in history as seen through the eyes of the resilient, fascinating women who lived through them. Whether it’s a “moving and intimate glimpse” (Publisher’s Weekly) of Eleanor Roosevelt’s love affair with Lorena Hickock in Undiscovered Country, or the tough decisions of Clara, a mail-order bride broker, in In Need of a Good Wife, or Louisa May Alcott’s excruciating choice between love and her writing career in The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, readers are immersed in riveting stories often overlooked in American history.

O’Connor McNees’s forthcoming novel, The Myth of Surrender (March 2021, Pegasus), is the story of an unlikely friendship forged between two young women navigating the secrecy and shame of unwed pregnancy at a home for wayward girls, at the height of the Mad Men age.

In addition to her five novels, Kelly’s writing has appeared in The Millions, The Washington Post, The Toast, and in Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology. She has also written for The Boxcar Children series. Kelly is represented by Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Born and raised in Michigan, she lives in Chicago with her family.

Reviews

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY is actually the third fictional account I have read about Lorena "Hick" Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. And, I would, without any problems, read at least three more. I find both women fascinating to read about and I like reading new books that take a different look at their relationship.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

[Lori Spielman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this sensitively-written novel. McNees is a master of historical detail, and Eleanor and Lorena come alive in this tender story of love and friendship, hope and heartbreak. The stakes couldn't be higher for Eleanor and Lorena, making this page-turning story of forbidden love so bittersweet. Highly recommend.

[Renée Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly O'Connor McNees is simply a beautiful writer. I have adored all her novels and have eagerly been awaiting the release of Undiscovered Country. She has a way of capturing characters and setting that stay with you long after you've turned the last page. I can't wait to see what she does next!

[Janelle Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

72: Undiscovered Country by Kelly O'Connor McNees...a "gift" from the Book of the Month Club with a deadline for reading and a survey to be completed (an opportunity and assignment I COMPLETELY relished!). This beautifully and well told fictional story is based on the volume of correspondence exchanged between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, an AP journalist assigned to FDR and his wife during his Presidential campaign. I struggle with the genre, honestly, that is neither true non-fiction nor completely fiction. Historical fiction is not my go-to genre, but when I read it I do so critically, wishing to identify and process appropriately the unbelievable parts as well as the believable ones that then aid my understanding of or fill in the blanks of that time and place. I wrestle even more, I think, with what this is; while McNees is completely honest about the story itself and conveys, even, that one of the characters completely her creation rather than fact, I have a hard time filing it for myself, given that it's based on REAL people and a potentially REAL story...but not truth or fact in its telling. But that is not to indicate at all a dislike or discredit for this story or book. McNees is a talented artist, telling well the story she crafts, using valuable and even poetic devices as well as enjoyable and invigorating diction, and also creating complex and viable characters of these women, making them believable as well as engaging readers in their story. Hopefully BOTM does feature it...and then also gives me the opportunity to do more for them! :)

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the perceptive writing of Kelly O'Connor McNees and the empathy she feels for her characters; I also have always been fascinated by Eleanor Roosevelt but knew almost nothing about her love story with Lorena Hickok until I read Kelly's novel. How richly she writes the story, whether telling of smoke-filled newsrooms, dingy hotels, strained White House dinners and guestroom luxury, naked starving children across America and or the affinity and love two very different women find with each other. Eleanor, who had come from a wealthy home and dedicated herself to help the poor as her husband was elected President, and "Hick," who had grown up in the worse poverty and abuse to fight her way up as a reporter (and a woman reporter!) in the days of the Depression. Her friends are the guys in the newsroom and her dog; she is a hard drinker and had seen a lot of tragedy and grit. Eleanor, so much in love with this utterly different woman and so abandoned as a wife by her husband Franklin, is utterly idealistic and early on into her love affair with Hick, sketches plans for the day they can live together and never be apart.

But though Eleanor (called "Nora") is deeply in love, she is followed everywhere by Secret Service men; if she and Hick have a few hours privacy together, it is a luxury. Eleanor's life is utterly taken up by her idealistic fight for the poor, and the quiet life she also idealizes with her reporter lover in one small house begins to appear as difficult to create in reality as is decent housing and food for a good part of desperate America. Both the determined reporter and the gracious First Lady are richly portrayed as if instead of opening the pages of a book, you are stepping into a life and watching fascinated from the corner of a room. Two great things are at stake: the future of millions of Americans in the grinding Depression, and the small intimate space and time to allow this love to flourish. How can they have what they so much want? How can any couple have it, so pulled by commitments and yet so deeply pulled together?

A remarkable, deeply human book about two people in love and how they can make that love work in the reality of their world. Brava to the author! Superbly done! To be cherished on my shelf of books to read again.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would love to read a book about Eleanor and Hick that a) was actually about their romance and b) in Eleanor's POV.

The second one is personal preference, but I am reading these books because I got interested in Eleanor, so they're not really scratching that itch. The second one . . . they got together SO QUICKLY. And Hick was pretty much out, but was it really that easy for Eleanor??? I wanted some actual falling in love!

Oh, and Queer + Historical for Ripped Bodice bingo.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look behind the curtain at a relationship that has not been covered extensively.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that captures the soul of a relationship. It’s told through the eyes of Lorena ’Hick’ Hickok, an intimate friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and, at one point, the country’s best known female reporter. Her conflicted feelings about covering the First Lady for the Associated Press as she became emotionally involved are touchingly rendered. And even though the author clearly takes some narrative license, the words and actions between the two women never step beyond the bounds of propriety. I thought Lorena’s fieldwork for FDR’s Emergency Relief program and the poverty she encountered as an investigator was the most interesting part of the book even though it wasn’t its main topic. 4 1/2 stars

[Charlene Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific look at the life of two very interesting women. One is so famous that some people have always tried to hide and ignore certain things about her and the other seems to have been lost in history. Kelly O'Connor McNees has really brought to life this short period in the lives of Lorena Hickox and Eleanor Roosevelt, that I felt that many things were made clearer for me. I have always been aware of the whispers about Mrs Roosevelt and her particular friend, so I wasn't surprised to know that this relationship lasted for as long as it did. I really appreciate all the research that went into the writing of this wonderful story. As you read about their first meeting, the development of the deeper relationship one sees all the things that are difficult for Eleanor and Hick, which are things that plague all relationships. Even though both Nora and Hick knew that once FDR took his oath of office as President, their time together would have to take a backseat to all the responsibilities that Eleanor would have to be involved in. Needless to say, I don't think either Hick or Eleanor (Nora) gave much thought to the real situation and that certain things would become more important then what they felt for each other. As Nora tells Hick her freedom came after she confronted Franklin concerning his affair with Missy Hand, her best friend. Once the truce or bargain was made life continued for the public view and each had the privacy they wanted. It is strange how especially in the 1930's an affair between FDR & Missy was much more accepted then the one between Eleanor & Hick. Some things have not changed! You see just how much Hick is able to help Nora move into her own person by doing the deep research to help Nora set up the Arthurdale project to help move the coal miners families out of the very deep proverty that they were in. You see that Hick is caught between what her editor at the AP wants and the privacy that is needed if she is to continue in the presence of all the Roosevelt staff, especially once they have moved into the White House. One never feels that FDR cared much about the relationship between his wife and Hick. The times that they are on vacation and away from prying eyes, life is good and you can feel that Nora blossoms due to just being with Hick. I was surprised that Hick didn't see just how upset Nora would be once her name/signature is forged by Hick to insure that Ruth Johnson and family would be given a home at Arthurdale. Hick like a lot of people let the rumor mill run away with her feelings and couldn't seem to trust the system. But these are very passionate and deeply complicated individuals. Thank you so much for giving the world this great story and making Lorena Hickox live again to take her rightful place in history.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imminently readable and relatable. I like when historic fiction makes me want to learn more about the actual historic figures in the book. After reading this novel, I wanted to learn more about Hick and her role in Eleanor’s life and Roosevelt’s White House.

I highly recommend this book if you’re at all interested in the Great Depression, the Roosevelts, women in journalism, lesbians in the 1930s, or the domestic arrangements of the wealthy. It’s a solid read.

[Carol Eshaghy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok exchanged more than 3000 letters over a 30 year relationship. In this novel their relationship is explored. Were they friends or more than friends? The author uses the visit of Hickok to view and report the deplorable conditions in West Virginia that prompted Mrs Roosevelt to build Arthurdale, a town of small homes to house the poor. The truth of their relationship will never be known, but this is an interesting take on it.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different look at the depression through the love affair between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickock. An easy to read historical fiction.

[Meike · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is gonna be added to my list of favorite favorite FAVORITE books

[Lbball27 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tender and heartbreaking love story. Loved the writing, only criticism is it went by too fast.

[Elspeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posting at 1.45am because I finished this ten minutes ago, having started it this evening. I didn't want to leave smart, passionate, generous-hearted Lorena Hickok. Now the book is done and I miss her. A novel that imagines one version of the intense yet semi-mysterious relationship between journalist Hickok (as out as she could manage in 1932) and new First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, based on extant letters between them. Whether a deep friendship or a love affair may never be known for certain, but this imagined version of a requited passion is glorious and fragile and beautiful as a soap bubble.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

LGBTQIA Review [light spoilers for content assessment]

Undiscovered Country is a novel based on the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and female reporter, Lorena “Hick” Hickok. Now, if you aren’t already clued into the nonfiction version of the pair’s story here’s a quick run-down:
- They exchanged hundreds of letters over the course of several years. Many letters express romantic feelings.
- Hick literally had a room in the White House while FDR and Eleanor lived there.
- You can read more about their love and how it impacted Eleanor, and by extension, FDR and the United States at large in the nonfiction account, Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped the First Lady.

Enter Undiscovered Country, a novel that takes what we do know about the two, and puts us in the mind of Hick. Through Hick, readers experience the historical sapphic relationship.

LGBTQIA Characters/Relationships
While neither Eleanor nor Hick use labels to describe themselves, it is clear that they share a deep romantic love for one another.

LGBTQIA Content Assessment
On brand with the era, Eleanor and Hick go through some trouble and lengths to keep their relationship hidden. The couple deals with threats from others who have an inkling of their relationship. Hick in particular fears losing her job, status, and financial security. But this is to be expected from this historical fiction work. In general, neither character deals with internalized homophobia.

Read the full review on A Lesbian And Her Laptop.

[Andrea D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story. I love the author’s writing, it’s so eloquent and I can really feel what she is saying. I have never in my life felt so moved by anything written in a book to motivate me to write it down until now....

“It was a strange point of pride to have a problem so broken it couldn’t be fixed, even by a woman who was known for solving impossible problems on a grand scale. My wounds, I realized, were precious to me; if she told me there was a way to heal them, I feared I might disappear.”

[Bonsai]

There’s nothing wrong with this book, except that it can’t hold a candle to White Houses. Might return to it someday.

[kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

my thoughts for this book can best be described as "okay....i guess??" it's going to completely vanish from my mind in one month's time and when i look back at my list of books in 2021 i'm going to think 'oh right i read the gay eleanor roosevelt novel. hm.' and then it will once again vanish from my mind.

kelly o'connor mcnees is a fine writer, in my opinion, i found the prose in the first half to be well-crafted and evocative, but it inexplicably tapered off in the second half. moreover o'connor mcnees doesn't manage to truly sell the romance. the brief scene of hick & nora listening to a tenor sing an aria they'd heard the other night from his balcony on a crowded new york street, while being unable to physically touch and feeling that ache was great, but that was the peak. after that, the romance plateaued until it almost reached "very good friends" territory. this book cannot decide whether it wants to be about hickok & roosevelt's relationship, or their humanitarian efforts, and, while it is definitely possible to explore both with equal weight, there was a definite wedge down the centre of the book. the first half is a love story, the second half is a crusade against poverty.

of my further grievances, i'll spare you the majority and leave you with this: the book vaguely operates on a framework of hick in the future telling the reader her story. i say vaguely because it comes up perhaps two times in the beginning--most notably when narrator-hick interjects that she cannot talk about her & nora sleeping together because she "promised to protect her"--before being discarded almost immediately. now, i'm not mad that i didn't get to read about eleanor roosevelt having sex (in fact i'm rather glad i didn't), it just felt like an odd place to cut in rather than a simple fade to black.

[shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undiscovered Country is a beautifully written book about the romance that transpired between Lorena Hicock and Eleanor Roosevelt. Coming across this book was the first moment I knew about the two which just shows their story is often sidelined even though the two made a deep impact in each other's life. Their affection for each other which was apparent in their letters and Hick's narration was so lovely I can describe it as poetic—one characteristic that I look for in romance novels.

Moreover, the book showcased the women's individuality by focusing on their strengths and contributions. The book also did not shy away from their flaws and shortcomings which I think is a good sign of brilliantly reimagining history. I also liked that the book dabbled in some facets of politics such as that looking at the long term is not always ideal because there are people in need right now and their needs must be addressed right away especially when the problems they are facing are systemic and have been affecting generations. My explanation may not be clear, but this notion was pointed out in the chapters revolving around the community Arthurdale wherein Eleanor and Hick made efforts to provide aid and homes for the miners, farmers, and their families in West Virginia. I also loved how the book explored personal desires, big aspirations for the greater good, and monumental actions that go way beyond the two protagonists.

All in all, I was glad to have read this book because I learned more about Eleanor Roosevelt and the parts she played as the First Lady and I was introduced to Lorena Hicock, a talented journalist.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two novels based on the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok were published in 2018. I wish I had read them closer together so that I could compare them more directly. Both are narrated by "Hick," and both assume a sexually intimate relationship, something that not all historians agree on. This one has a more compressed time frame, covering only the period from October 1932 to the end of 1933. Amy Bloom's is much more popular with GoodReads readers, but this one is better loved (3.90 average rating compared to 3.33 for Bloom's. In a quick perusal of the reviews here, I only saw one that did compare them directly, to the detriment of this one). I found this one to be a bit too sentimental, almost like a romance novel at times, with uncounted instances stating the longing that the two characters felt for each other when apart (which was most of the time). The author does devote a fair amount of space to the Arthurdale project in West Virginia, a pet project of Eleanor's, in an attempt to add some heft to the story. But although Eleanor Roosevelt is certainly an admirable character, she is too heroic here to be entirely believable.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm trying to think of what I truly liked and what was disappointing about this novel and, honestly, it's a mixed bag of both. The main characters are interesting but as they are drawn here I don't understand how they could have stayed together past 1933. Eleanor is dismissive of Hick and Hick, though busy helping Eleanor with her work, feels jealous of Eleanor's focus on her work. These problems are surmountable but neither character seems inclined to discuss these issues.

So idk, I didn't really read this portrayal of their relationship as sustainable or healthy. It may be accurate to history, but given my brief research on their letters this doesn't seem to be the case. If their dynamic changed after the time period covered here I think this book would have benefited from including the start of that change.

That said the info about Arthurdale and Hick's jobs were interesting and engaging.

[Debbie Shoulders · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relationship of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and AP Journalist Lorena Hickock has inspired several novels. In this one McNees chooses a clear focus and helps the reader understand at least Hickok's point of view. When Hicks, as she was called, got too close to the first family she was let go from the Associated Press. Eleanor got her a job at the White House asking her to report on the conditions of those most affected by the Great Depression. In one case Hick's investigation led to the building of a subsidized housing development in West Virginia. As is often the case the passion that Eleanor had for helping those in need took precedence to her personal life and Hickok has to learn to deal with that. Based on the papers Hickok left behind McNees interprets the situation as it probably was in those times.

[Judith Leipold · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually finished this book a week ago. The book left me with many unanswered questions. As a novel I shouldn't expect more, but since the book focused on the relationship of two prominent women I wanted more. I grew up in a household where both FDR and Eleanor were worshipped for their liberal thinking by the standards of the time. To read a fictionalized account of these personalities and the programs they proposed left me wanting to know where the line was drawn? The hook here was the relationship between the FLOTUS and Lorena Hickok. Don't expect a love story (or even a happy ending), unless you are into unrequited types. Again, truth v fiction makes for lots of gray lines. The back story of Lorena Hickok would've been more up my aisle as Eleanor was too busy to be bothered with a lover, much less with a reader.

[Jenny Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was compelling and readable, with an engaging first-person narrative. It would have benefited from a more historically accurate portrayal of the protagonist, Hick. The author left out some aspects of her work with the Works Progress Administration, such as attitudes and reportage that would now be considered racist and could have contributed to the inequities and even overtly racist policies of some New Deal programs.

That said, this is a good book for introducing the concept of people deliberately written out of history, for a discussion of gender roles and sexuality during this period, and (with additional reading) a discussion on how racism was built into some of the institutions established during this period. A great book club choice.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing itself is engaging and flows easily, but I didn't find the novel as a whole that compelling and I was a little bored at times. For one thing, the falling in love was almost instantaneous. For another, I felt sort of detached from Lorena even though it was told in her perspective in the first person; she *told* the reader that she loved Eleanor and her work as a journalist, but it didn't make me believe it. I also agree with another reviewer that it's sort of like this book doesn't quite know what it's trying to be (love story, infatuation story, story about the depression). I think it works a little better if you think of it as a story of an infatuation, but that isn't how it is described so I didn't start thinking of it that way until near the end.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written novel. I wish I could give it 6 stars. McNees’s use of metaphor and vivid imagery is exquisite. The use of first-person narrative and Lorena Hickock’s voice to tell the story is spot-on and the treatment of the well documented relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok (Hick) is realistic, sensitive and wrenching. I laughed out loud a few times and ached for the characters in other places. You get hooked early and can’t help but love Hick and her story. It also paints a historically accurate depiction of The Great Depression and the horrible poverty in America in the 1930s. I highly recommend this novel.

[Megan Geissler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I have a hard time understanding the high ratings - is it because it's "based on a true story" about a high profile figure, in this case, Eleanor Roosevelt? Is it that it features influential female characters and attempts to fill a void? Maybe, but the writing was just so cliche that I couldn't commit to seeing this through to the end. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good, either. I actually usually enjoy historical fiction but this just missed the mark for me. Maybe I'll give it another go another time when I don't have so many other books I'm really excited to read. Despite the historical context, the story just felt flat.

[Anne-Marie Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually I want to give this 8 stars. I ABSOLUTELY loved this novel expanding on real events in Eleanor Roosevelt's life and her love for Hick. YES they were lovers. Franklin had affairs and Eleanor caught him with her secretary and she told him she still loved him and would not leave him but she would never be his lover again and to keep his love life secretive from that day forward. Hick and Eleanor helped the poor people in the Catskills and the Arthurdale project began the public housing developments still used today. there were letters used to reveal the feelings between Hick and Eleanor who was a woman ahead of her time.

[Nancy Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. Each book gives you a different aspect of their lives and relationship. This novel spends a great deal of time on the reality of the depression and the building of Arthurdale for the rural poor. It is written from the perspective of Hickok, which is the norm for these books of historical fiction. I did like this book, but there were times the story became soap opera-ish. The author points out that women have "liberated the story of these two women" from the pages of history written by men. I am grateful they have done so.