Perennials

by Julie Cantrell
Scott County Library paperback 338 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships

My perspective on this book may change after our discussion tonight. Right now, I'm ambivalent. I almost want to go back to see what I wrote about the author's book The Feathered Bone . . . in my memory, I liked it pretty well. This one, not so much. Lovey / Eva is 45 and living in Arizona. She's pretty New Age, in my opinion. When her parents all but beg her to come home to Mississippi for a few weeks, she makes it happen regardless of the negative implications for her at work.

Dedication - "For my children, and for all children, and for the child in all of us - May you always know the truth: you are loved." I thought this was a wonderful dedication page!

Page 81 - "I needed my family to stand up for me, help me heal. Instead, Bitsy attacked, Chief stayed silent, and Mother told me never to speak of it again." I can't understand a loving family reacting this way to a family member's emotional agony. It just doesn't make sense.

Page 90 - "Half of me wants to hug my father and assure him I wouldn't change a thing. But the wounded half wants to tell him how badly I needed him to stand up for me. How much his silence has hurt me." Tell him!!! One of my biggest frustrations with these books is that people don't talk honestly with one another!

Page 99 - "It's hard to think of my parents aging. Someday holding Mother's hand as she takes her last breath, or waking to the call that my father is no longer with us. My eyes water at the thought, and I push it away. Far away. I can't imagine how hard it is for them to watch their friends fade, one by one." Ugh! This has been too much on my mind lately! I want to live life fully, ready to head to Heaven whenever God calls me! I'm glad I don't have close friends dying yet . . .

Page 155 - I love this conversation that Lovey and Fisher have! "You want me to be honest?" Yes! Thank you, Fisher, for having an honest conversation! Thank you for providing another perspective on Bitsy and Lovey growing up!

Page 183 - Mary Evelyn's birthday tea . . . a group of 16 year olds having an etiquette lesson . . . it's partly very appealing and partly horrifying!

Page 208 - I'm curious about the author's personal beliefs. Christianity is included in the book, but it certainly isn't a main theme. When Lovey does yoga with her mom and dad and ends with "Namaste. The light in me sees the light in you," it just seems counter-intuitive to call this Christian fiction.

Page 213 - Finally! I don't want to add a spoiler here, so I'll just say that one of the things hinted at is stated outright. It wasn't a shocker because I was waiting for it.

Page 231 - "I keep quiet, capturing every subtle gesture and sound Mother makes, determined not to forget a thing." Take photos and videos! Write stories down! I treasure the artifacts of my life with my mother . . . and I cannot get new photos, videos, or memories any more.

Page 278 - I like her timeline. I kept thinking, "What has she done with her life between ages 18 and 45?!" I wish the timeline had been included earlier, but most of the story focuses on her current life and flashbacks to childhood.

Page 286 - I love the conversation that she and Chief have the night of the party. They should have had the conversation a few decades earlier, but . . .

Not sure what page . . . . there was a twist I *didn't* anticipate! Again, don't want to put spoilers here.

Page 310 - "Our body's death is not the tragedy, girls. It's when we waste our time in life feeling dead on the inside. That's the real reason to grieve." Their mom shares this gem of wisdom with Bitsy and Lovey, but it feels like too little, too late. And I still don't get why Bitsy turned into such a nasty human being.

Page 323 - "It's a heavy role, shuttling a soul into the next world, and I feel there's no right way to manage this." Too true . . . sitting with someone on their death bed is a heavy role. I hope to make it easier for my kids by assuring them of my salvation through Jesus Christ. Death is not scary to me (at least, my own death) because of God's Word.