In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • What Flowers Remember by Shannon Wiersbitzky
  • Deborah Stevenson, Editor
Wiersbitzky, Shannon. What Flowers Remember. Namelos, 2014. 151p Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-60898-166-3 $18.95 Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-60898-167-0 $9.95 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-60898-168-7 $8.95 R Gr. 5-7.

The summer before middle school is the beginning of Delia’s gardening business; with her beloved neighbor, Old Red, who taught her to garden, she gathers heirloom seeds and sells them throughout town. She also notices that Red’s forgetting things; come winter, it becomes clear his dementia has advanced to the point where he can’t live on his own, and before the next summer comes, he’s moved into a nursing home. Delia starts a project for him, collecting and writing down memories people around town have of Old Red over the years; while she initially hopes these memories will jog his own, she gradually moves to an understanding that she’s gathering the past that he’s losing. Delia’s narration is divided by months, clocking the calendar’s progression as Old Red loses touch with such details, and the subtle theme of memory and loss is artistically complemented by the focus on growth in the gardens and in Delia’s own life (her sweet first romance with Tommy Parker). There are echoes of Patricia MacLachlan in the book’s period flavor (the story seems to be set thirty years or so in the past), the tenderness, and the deft writing that keeps a heart-tugging plot lovely as well as brimming with sentiment. Delia’s move from grief for what she’s losing to a deeper understanding of her old friend is smoothly depicted, and the book is wisely understated about Old Red’s clearly being a father and grandfather figure to the fatherless girl. The story will bring new perspective for readers struggling with their own beloved elders, and the liquid joy of a serious tearjerker to anybody who likes a poignant human drama.

...

pdf

Share