Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Red Garden, by Alice Hoffman

I liked this set of vignettes, following the descendents of the founders of a small town in the Berkshires from generation to generation from the 1800s to the present, focusing on those who stay within touch of the blood red garden where a bear is killed and buried early on.  A child or teenager in one story becomes the parent, aunt, or grandparent in the next.  Hoffman weaves in ghosts, folklore, and mystical relationships between humans and animals.  Heat and paternity are persistent leitmotifs.

No comments:

Post a Comment