Amaryllis in Blueberry ***** (excellent)

by

Christina Meldrum

“In Meldrum’s intoxicating first adult novel (after 2010′s Madapple) a family undertakes West African missionary work only to find its members profoundly transformed. Polish-American pathologist Dick Slepy lives with his bohemian wife, Christina “Seena,” in Danish Landing, Mich. They have four daughters, each following the other by two years. There’s pretty Mary Grace, now 18. Mary Catherine is “always-obedient” and pious, whereas Mary Tessa is a “trouble-maker-in-training,” and the precocious Amaryllis, their youngest at 11, is an “emotional synesthete,” who tastes, smells, and otherwise “consumes” the pain, rage, love, or joy of others, and is suspiciously dark-featured. Fearing that his wife is having an affair, Dick seeks the council of his local priest, Father Amadi, who suggests the Slepys take a mission to West Africa to help his nephew, Mawuli, run an aid organization. They go, but the mission is anything but the salve Dick had hoped for, and one event after another…shove the family into deep crisis. With every chapter, Meldrum jumps viewpoints and shifts time and space…her combination of coming-of-age and culture clash narratives has a seductive intensity.”
   —Publishers Weekly

I’m joining Jain @ Food for Thought  and Mary @ Home is Where the Boat is.

Reading books and sharing edible reviews together, this year 22 books have been chosen and if you would like to join in this special way of reading and creating, please contact these two lovely ladies for the years reading list. This month’s review was Amaryllis in Blueberry of course obvious as is, my sweet recipes all included blueberries.

 Petite pikelets with Blueberry yoghurt & Blueberries

Pikelets are delicate and light, a ‘quick’ mixture. The mixture is in between a pancake and crepe. A wonderful surprise for breakfast served with fresh luscious yoghurt and blueberries.

Amaryllis in Blueberry was an interesting read, it wasn’t an easy read for me, (probably because I have too many books on the go at the moment), however once I had read the first few chapters I couldn’t put it down. As you read the pages of this remarkable book, you get to know each character, and family member.

In the stirring tradition of The Secret Life of Bees and The Poisonwood Bible, Amaryllis in Blueberryexplores the complexity of human relationships set against an unforgettable backdrop. Told through the haunting voices of Dick and Seena Slepy and their four daughters, Christina Meldrum’s soulful novel weaves together the past and the present of a family harmed—and healed—by buried secrets.

Maybe, unlike hope, truth couldn’t be contained in a jar. . . .

Meet the Slepys: Dick, the stern doctor, the naive husband, a man devoted to both facts and faith; Seena, the storyteller, the restless wife, a mother of four, a lover of myth. And their children, the Marys: Mary Grace, the devastating beauty; Mary Tessa, the insistent inquisitor; Mary Catherine, the saintly, lost soul; and finally, Amaryllis, Seena’s unspoken favorite, born with the mystifying ability to sense the future, touch the past and distinguish the truth tellers from the most convincing liar of all.

When Dick insists his family move from Michigan to the unfamiliar world of Africa for missionary work, he can’t possibly foresee how this new land and its people will entrance and change his daughters—and himself—forever.

Nor can he predict how Africa will spur his wife Seena toward an old but unforgotten obsession. In fact, Seena may be falling into a trance of her own.

“With Amaryllis in Blueberry, Christina Meldrum has woven a beautifully layered, intensely emotional story, with unforgettable characters whose voices will remain with you long after their secrets have been revealed.”
   —Michelle Richmond, author of the New York Times and international bestseller The Year of Fog

“Amaryllis in Blueberry is a rich, evocative story about an unusual family that will sweep readers away to another place and time. Amaryllis’s voice is a spellbinding and unique blend of naiveté and wisdom. A perfect melding of family saga, murder mystery and a meditation on faith, loyalty and love, this novel will both haunt and entertain you.”
   —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author

Connecting to Christina Meldrum on her official sitethere are wonderful book/reader guides and interesting Q & A. I’ve shared a few with you…

Did you intend from the start to have religion be a key theme in the novel, or is it an aspect of the storyline that developed during the writing process?

A: I see religion less as a theme in Amaryllis in Blueberry, more as a vehicle by which I explored other themes, particularly truth and the corresponding power of perspective. Similar to the role of Greek mythology and African mythology—and myth-making in general—religion was a means by which certain characters in the novel made sense of their world and of themselves. Because of this, religion provided an avenue to explore other themes in the novel, including justice, contrition and obsession. In these respects, I did intend from the outset to have religion play a key role.

Seena is fascinated by mythology, and even the novel’s title draws on a Greek myth. Is this a topic in which you had an interest prior to writing Amaryllis in Blueberry?

A:I’ve wondered—and continue to wonder—whether each of our lives is a story at some level: a myth we create. How is our sense of reality and identity influenced by our memory, by our perspective, by our reflection on past events? Seena was a person who struggled with her own life story, because it was a painful life story in many respects. Was she drawn to mythology because others’ stories were safer for her, more palatable to her? Perhaps, but how accurate was her perception of her own life? Was the love she shared with Dick a mere myth, as she came to believe? Was the love she shared with Heimdall a myth as well? Or was it her spinning of these experiences the myths-in-making? And what of Yllis? Her entire life’s story was built on myth: the myth of the blueberry field; the myth of Amaryllis. Yet Yllis was a person who saw beyond myth, whether she wanted to or not. No matter the myths people created for themselves—and of themselves—Yllis sensed feeling; she could see beyond people’s words. Still, truth ultimately evaded even Yllis. Was Yllis right, then, that truth is necessarily elusive, “that it can’t be contained in a jar”? Are myths essential to our understanding of ourselves and our world? Personally, I think they may be.

Fascinating is the title of the book, and refers to a Greek myth – the myth of Amaryllis. Seena summarizes the myth for us in the book:

“…so in love was Amaryllis with the shepherd boy Alteo that day after day she stood on his doorstep and pierced her heart in an attempt to win is love. But Alteo had no interest in girls: he loved only flowers. It made no difference how many times Amaryllis pierced her heart; Alteo paid no heed. Then a miracle happened; on the very spot where Amaryllis’s blood had fallen, a beautiful flower bloomed. When Alteo saw the flower, he fell in love with Amaryllis, and he named the blood red flower Amaryllis in her honor”

Our season for fresh blueberries has ended, (deep sigh) I often include fresh blueberries on my breakfast cereal. I opted for the tinned blueberries for these recipes. I was surprised by the texture and wonderful flavour. One of my favourite smoothies is banana and blueberry…

I also indulged in a little trifle…served in long stemmed glasses. Petite Swiss rolls, filled with strawberry jam. Vanilla custard, raspberry jelly and blueberry yoghurt and berries, mmmmm……..

“Spellbinding.”
   —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author

“A uniquely memorable read that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.”
   —Carol Cassella, National Bestselling author of Oxygen and Healer

“A beautifully layered, intensely emotional story, with unforgettable characters.”
   —Michelle Richmond, author of the New York Times and international bestseller The Year of Fog

Amaryllis in Blueberry, is a novel as you read each page you continually escape into the lives and characters of all the players. Players of an intriguing family. I loved this novel and certainly enjoyed creating all these ‘sweet’ treats with blueberries. A wonderful novel to add to your bookshelves.

Have a wonderful day, my friends,and Enjoy!

Visit other reviews of the same book:

Jain @ Food for Thought

Mary @ Home is Where the Boat is

Sarah @ Hyacinths For the Soul

Kathy@   A Delightsome Life: Home & Garden Thursday

Yvette…x