ASHLAND — The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy, is a debut novel by Ashland’s Allison Lawrentz Barnhart.
Barnhart’s work is a true story about genealogy, memory, and DNA.
This compelling memoir brings to light the complex dynamics of family and friendships, motherhood, and marriage — how they can be torn apart by betrayal and abuse, yet mended together by time, forgiveness, and love.
When Allison gives her father the gift of an at-home DNA test, the results seem off. She reaches out to Jennifer, listed as a close genetic match to her father, and they begin to piece together a forgotten past.
As they compare family trees and DNA data, an unwelcome question rises in Allison’s mind: What if her dad’s father was not who the entire family believed him to be?
When Jennifer’s aunt recalls a significant childhood memory and Allison finds unsettling evidence among her grandmother’s keepsakes, there’s no denying what they’ve uncovered. The two young moms were just strangers online, yet decades before, their families were deeply intertwined.
Everything she knew to be true about her paternal family history was unraveling — and now Allison must make a difficult choice.
If she doesn’t continue the cycle of silence to protect the memory of her grandmother, does that mean she must betray Evelyn’s secrets and risk altering her family’s relationships forever?
Throughout the book, Allison examines the complex facets of her grandmother’s life while drawing parallels to three generations of record keepers.
“Since the beginning of the discovery in 2017, I kept track of the evidence and the clues, recording steps along the way until I realized I was writing a book. I couldn’t let it go until I had gotten the story out on paper! And just like my grandmother and my dad, I realized I was also a record keeper.”
Allison Lawrentz Barnhart is a native of Ashland, and lives there with her husband Jason and their two children. She works as a graphic designer for Spire, a marketing agency in her hometown.
The Record Keeper, published by Legacy Book Press, LLC, releases on July 16, 2024, and is available in paperback and eBook through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
You can learn more about Allison by visiting: www.allisonbarnhart.com.