How Abbi Waxman crafts a tale about a widow keeping it all together with laughable moments, cringe-y moments and deep sentiment, I dunno. She is a genius, to be sure. The Garden of Small Beginnings will capture your heart in a blink.
If you have a sister, this book will speak to you. If you have/had a spouse/partner, this book will speak to you. If you have young children, this book will speak to you. If you are a single parent, this book will speak to you. If you escape to Target for the sake of sanity and the Dollar Spot, this book will speak to you.
See what I mean? Abbi Waxman is a master storyteller. In love, peeps. In love.
Our main character Lilian was unfortuntely widowed four years ago. She never expected this to be her lot in life. Her husband’s death was a car accident steps from their home. She’s raising their two girls solo, with a lot of help from Lilian’s sister, Rachel.
Complicating the situation was Lilian’s stint in a mental health facility when she ‘went nuts’ (from the book, not my words) after Dan’s passing. She legit got sent away and locked away. I cannot imagine. Rachel held down the fort while the good folks were helping nurse Lilian back to health – mentally and physically.
Lilian is an illustrator and has been asked (told, really) to attend a class to get some inspo. The book is about gardening; the class is an urban garden five-week intensive. Rather than use photographs or graphic art, Lilian’s leader wants illustrations. So, off Lilian, her girls (Clare, 7 and Annabel, 5) and Rachel go to start an adventure in the dirt.
The instructor, Edward, is easy on the eyes. Lilian is not looking for a connection. She’s looking to cross something off her to-do list and appease her boss by being at these classes. But what wasn’t expected was the connection the classmates have and how good they are for each other’s souls. While it reads like a modern day character list from The Breakfast Club, they mesh together seamlessly.
Rachel and Lilian’s connection will just blow your heart up if you have a sister. The honesty these two share, the way they talk, how Rachel interacts with Lilian’s kiddos is honest to goodness my sister. If you don’t have a sister or a sisterly relationship, I hope you have a gal pal who feels like your sister. To find a friend who can tell it to ya straight and wants happiness for your soul is just a different kind of love.
Abbi shares a ditty about wandering through Target in here that had me screaming ‘AMEN, muthah!’ She gets it. She gets me. And THIS:
I mean, whuuuuuuuut!? She’s like a sociologist and love expert and rolls it into a funny chicken nugget.
And any book that can include the phrases ‘tough titties’ and flash-fried shit’ has me as a cult follower. You just cannot get better than that. And this author did just that in a book about a WIDOW finding her path after tragedy.
That, fellow book lovers, is just epic. This book will capture your heart.
If you’re looking for another amazing Abbi Waxman book, flutter your fingers over The Bookish Life of Nina Hill!
If you liked Eleanor Oliphant, this book would be her contemporary cousin without any outwards signs of mental illness. (No shame. We all got something.) A little cooky. A bit of a Danny Tanner-ish personality in that she likes her little bubble just the way it is, thankyouverymuch. This book was a joy!