Some people like to read books once and some people like to read them dozens of times. I am a HUGE re-reader, and I’ve read White Oleander by Janet Fitch about a million times.
This beautifully written book is the story of a young girl, Astrid, and her stunning and mercurial mother, Ingrid. Astrid adores her artistic and unpredictable mother despite her slapdash parenting techniques.
When Ingrid is arrested for a violent crime, sensitive, sheltered Astrid becomes a foster child – and herworld completely changes.
The best part of this book is how Fitch skillfully captures Astrid’s observations about the myriad lives she leads. As she cycles through multiple foster families, she experiences every level of wealth and privilege, and every kind of danger and disadvantage. Astrid moves chameleon-like through lifestyles, never really settling, and never certain who she really is. As one of her foster carers applies make-up to her face, Astrid thinks “I was blank, anyone could fill me in” which really captures how she sees herself without the guiding force of her overbearing mother.
It’s lyrical and lovely writing, but with a hard edge – Fitch never shies away from how hard Astrid’s experiences are. White Oleander is really about the tensions and ties between mothers and daughters and how breaking away from a parent can be painful, but essential for growth.
You purchase White Oleander by Janet Fitch here.
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Cherie lives, works, and reads in beautiful Tasmania – the green island gem below Australia known for its gorgeous landscape and beautiful wildlife. She holds multiple academic qualifications in English, journalism, and fine art theory, and has worked in writing, editing, and communications roles for more than a decade. Most importantly, she has a deep love for books that began as soon as she learned how to read.
Old, new, any genre – for Cherie, reading is about as vital as breathing. She is interested in sharing books that move, excite, and compel, so others can share the joy of a truly great read. While she reads across most genres, her favourite is literary fiction. Particularly anything by Margaret Atwood, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler.
Cherie frequents Tasmania’s beautiful boutique book shops as well as scouring secondhand shops for books to add to her extensive home library. Catch up with her on LinkedIn and on Instagram.
