Book Review

Article by Kady

　　　　"We women make choices for others, not for ourselves, and when we are mothers, we...bear what we must for our children. You will protect them. It will hurt you; it will hurt them. Your job is to hide that your heart is breaking and do what they need you to do." - Kristin Hannah, Winter Garden

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of Firefly Lane and True Colors comes an intricately woven story about the relationship of a mother and her daughters.

　　　　Anya Whitson is a Russian immigrant living in the United States. Only upon the death of her husband does Anya reconnect with her two adult daughters to form a strained relationship filled with past emotional scars. Sometimes mothers and daughters share an intrinsic emotional bond. At other times, what grows between a mother and her daughters is as barren as a winter garden.

　　　　When Captain Richard Smith requested that I review a book for the Blue Report, my mind scrambled to select the proper fit for the Blue Report’s readers. Obviously, Outpost Ten Forward is composed of a science fiction geared population with a focus on Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones, Firefly, and even Dr. Who. How would an adult best seller like Winter Garden ever be able to stand up against literary works by gifted science fiction writers? How could I pull off reviewing an American novel when so many members of the population are scattered around the world and not come off as being short sighted?

　　　　Even with all this doubt shadowing this book, it tugged at my heart. And the answer became clear. Winter Garden is not just a ‘non science fiction,’ ‘American’ novel devoid of any real literary merit. Winter Garden is a story of human emotion and the pain that is all too often rooted inside. It is a exploration into the realm of secrets and broken lines of communication. Coincidentally, it also serves as a reminder of the affects of chaos caused by the imbalance of a corrupted government.

　　　　Nina and Meredith Whitson grew up with an emotionally distant mother who rarely communicated with her family aside from telling and retelling a fairy tale about a family living in Russia. Their mother, Anya, would spend countless hours sitting in and admiring her winter garden despite being color blind. Is it ironic that a color blind woman’s prized possession would be her garden in the dead of winter? Indeed, it is. However, it symbolizes the very essence of a woman’s heart stripped of human emotion as she grows up from infancy in the tyranny of a communist government during a time when revealing the slightest human emotion may endanger her family from the watchful scrutiny of the ‘secret police’.

　　　　Anya relates her youth living in Russia to her daughters in the form of a fairy tale. Her daughters’ disdain this fairy tale because they view it as their mother’s inability to converse with them about important details in their lives. Nina and Meredith eventually begin to understand that decoding the characters and events in their mother’s story leads them to understand their mother’s past and how she evolved into the person they know her as.

　　　　In an effort to unravel the secrets of their mother’s past, Nina and Meredith take Anya to Alaska to meet Professor Adamovich who has mailed Anya a letter years earlier in an effort to find answers to secrets that the Soviets kept in Leningrad. Magically, they notice a remarkable difference in their mother’s demeanor as they are sailing on a cruise ship charted for Alaska.

　　　　"But the woman who’s just smiled was someone else entirely. Secrets within secrets. Was that what they’d discover on this trip? That their mother was like one of her precious Russian nesting dolls, and if that were true, would they ever really see the one hidden deep inside?" (Winter Garden, pg 251)

　　　　Let it be known that the novel Winter Garden stole my heart. I caution anyone wanting to read this book to do so with a box of tissues in hand. From the death of Nina’s and Meredith’s father until the time when Anya’s story begins to reveal that Vera is living in the midst of the Invasion of the Soviet Union by the Germans in 1941, I found that there are few parts that are not emotionally gripping. I truly felt that I was sucked into the plot and became connected with the characters. It took me longer to read this book all the way through, but it was never because it was lagging or dull or boring. Rather, it was the way the author Kristin Hannah wound my heart around the emotions experienced by the characters. I visualized their pain, fears, and disappointments.

　　　　There is no "villain" and no "hero" in this book. And the character development takes place in all the characters: Anya as she learns to let go of her past and allow her love to radiate out to reach her own two daughters, Nina and Meredith as they come to understand the reasons behind their mothers detachment, and Vera as we follow her through history in Leningrad surrounding the invasion by Germany. In fact, I was so motivated by this novel that I began rereading USSR/Russian history surrounding the cusp of World War II. I encourage everyone to read this book.