STORY SUMMARY
The Slepy family are an interesting bunch: Dick, the father, is a stern doctor and a very Catholic man. He's a bit naive as a husband but very devoted to his facts and his faith; Seena, Dick's wife, is restless. She's a storyteller who indulges in mythology and surrounds herself with books of that genre. She has birthed 4 daughters and named the first 3 "Mary____". Mary Grace is the oldest and a daughter who is beautiful. Mary Catherine is next in line and is a saintly (similar to her dad) lost soul; Mary Tessa is the impulsive, inquisitive one. She's their "wild one". And the youngest girl, Amarylllis (Yllis) is very different from all of them, not only in appearance, but in personality. She seems to have a gift of sensing the future....she touches the past....and she can tell a truth teller from the most convincing of liars. She is a mystery. She is also Seena's favorite and all of the other girls know it, although Seena denies it.
One day, Dick insists that they all move to West Africa....far away from Michigan and all that is familiar to them. He wants to be a medical missionary and the local priest, Father Ahmadi has encouraged this. He has no idea how this move to Africa will change his daughters....and himself....forever.
He also doesn't foresee that Africa will spur Seena towards an old but unforgotten obsession. Seena is falling into some kind of trance of her own........What is the secret that has harmed...and healed.... this family?
MY THOUGHTS
I found this book to be somewhat confusing...thankfully the author puts in a very light font, the time period of the chapter. The book begins at the end. The bulk of the book is told in flashbacks. I found this confusing even with the "the end" "before" "After" headings. It just was cumbersome to me.
The setting is Michigan and West Africa and the author has notes about this in the back of the book. It is the year 1976.
I wanted to love this book but honestly it was just kind of weird. It's definitely "deep". Not a light read.
There are so many various themes in this book that it's almost too many but it wraps up well. Each chapter is a different voice. We hear from Dick, Seena, each daughter, Clara (their elderly friend at their summer cottage in Michigan), and finally we hear from the Catholic priest. I found it very interesting that the author saved his voice for last.
It's a very mesmerizing story which is why I stuck with it. There are some "spiritual" elements that are just......weird. Mythology mixed with Catholicism and also with the West African voodoo.
I looked up Synesthete and it's a real thing. Amaryllis is a synesthete in this story. She is the only character who tells her part of the story in the past tense. I found this quite compelling.
Slave castles along the western coast of Africa are also real. I found this part of the story to be so sad.
The main theme in this book is a look at the intricacies of human relationships and also the consequences of secrets.
Other themes running throughout this book are: Truth. What it is...what it isn't....how this impacts each one of us. It touches on unwed pregnancy/teenage pregnancy, adultery, slavery, traditions of the West African peoples, neglectful parenting, betrayal, redemption, second chances...and hope.
It's a well written book from a literary sense. This author is clearly talented and there is a lot of symbolism in this story.
I just found it so sad.
There were several quotes that I found especially poignant. The first one that stood out to me was told in Mary Catherine's voice (Catie):
"...she feels so much love for the great designer of this masterpiece. So much love......and she knows she could never love a human the way she loves God, Jesus. Because it's the perfection she loves, the refusal to settle for the mundane. WHen god does something, He does it with splendor. Human beings? They undo a lot of God's doing..." (pg 54 Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum c. 2011)
and this one in Seena's (the mother) voice:
"and she thinks, Can you really seek forgiveness when you still want the thing for which you need forgiveness?" (pg 181)
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this an 8.
3 comments:
Responding to your comment about Wordle. All my siblings but one play each morning. We take turns choosing the start word to use on the first guess always hoping of course that it's the Wordle of the day. My brother told us he selected Bleak as start word on Tuesday which turned out as you know to be the Wordle. He didn't tell us until later that he had played using another start word and discovered on his 5th try Bleak was the Wordle.
hhaha Oh ok Marcia thanks!! I was wondering.....now i know what you mean by "start" word. Have a blessed day!!
Well thanks for the review. It's not one that draws me from the description at all but like you I find the cover lovely.
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