I adored this book. Such a beautifully told story of love, parenthood, tragedy, recovery, with a cemetery holding the whole thing together. Not only is this a great story, but the way it is written is so beautiful and immersive. Violette is now a woman in her early 50s, the caretaker at a cemetery. Not only does she care for the graves, the grounds, co-ordinate the burials that take place, keeping a register of all the burials she attends, she also cares for the people that come to grieve, making them a cup of tea or giving them something a little stronger, listening to them express their grief, tell their stories. For she too has a story – a story of pain, sadness, tragedy, aloneness. But this job of hers keeps her in touch with the world, isolating her a bit, but also enabling her to feel she is still a part of something bigger.
For us as celebrants, this book shines a light on our roles as comforters – simply by being present with that cup of tea, sitting in that aloneness space with someone, and when they are ready, allowing them to tell their story – and for us to hear it, acknowledge it, and maybe even record it.
The author’s first book – Forgotten on Sunday, has many of the same themes as Fresh Water for Flowers – grief, dying and death, the listening and then telling of the story, being that person of compassion and kindness in a time of need. The lead characters in both books come to terms with their own histories and that of their families, enabling them to move into the future with a different perspective.
The grapevine reports that Fresh Water for Flowers has also received rave reviews from celebrants Kelly Townsend, Helen Rutledge and Laura Giddey and it was the top selling fiction book at Time Out in Mt Eden last year. As Felicity commented, “It is such a joy to read a book like this, a book that makes you look forward so much to sitting down with it for 20 minutes with a cup of tea. Or something stronger. It seems to be one of those slow burners that as soon as enough people read it, it just takes off.” Fresh Water for Flowers is available now at many local bookshops like Time Out, on Kindle, and at local libraries.