Amaryllis in Blueberry

by Christina Meldrum

Amaryllis in Blueberry explores the complexity of human relationships through the haunting voices of Dick and Seena Slepy and their four daughters in a soulful novel which weaves together the past and the present of a family harmed—and healed—by buried secrets.

In the stirring tradition of The Secret Life of Bees and The Poisonwood Bible, Amaryllis in Blueberry explores 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 naÏve 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. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Africa, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Novels

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2011

About the author

Christina Meldrum is the author of MADAPPLE, a finalist for the PEN USA Literary Award and the William C. Morris Award, an ALA Best Book, a Booklist Editor's Choice and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book. Her second novel, AMARYLLIS IN BLUEBERRY, is forthcoming in February 2011 from Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. http://www.christinameldrum.com/

Reviews

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is there a reason to read Amaryllis in Blueberry instead of The Poisonwood Bible? My answer, after finishing Meldrum's sophomore novel, is a firm no.

It is always a gamble to draw inspiration from someone's work so heavily. Read Amaryllis in Blueberry's synopsis and you will see how closely it resembles the premise of Barbara Kingsolver's most acclaimed novel. Sadly, Meldrum's variation of the plot pales in comparison.

I liked Meldrum's writing style. I liked how she mixed Christianity, Greek mythology and new to me concept of synesthesia into her narrative. Unfortunately, somehow the final result wasn't as enchanting as Madapple's blend of science, religion and herbology was. Mostly, I think, because even good writing couldn't save this book weakened by an uninteresting and unoriginal plot.

You have a family of six - an emotionally distant mother, 4 young daughters and a father determined to move his family to Africa to get away from his personal demons. In Africa they experience a culture shock that forces all family members to face their issues. I remember The Poisonwood Bible, how ambitious its scope was. The whole story in Amaryllis in Blueberry is driven by family troubles and they aren't even that dramatic or engaging. By the middle of the story I started getting tired of multiple POVs that concentrated on mostly navel-gazing and boring introspection with very little action happening. Only in the last 40 pages did things start picking up and the ending was quite satisfying.

There is a little bit of an insight into African culture which I suppose would be interesting to some readers. But then again, I've read The Poisonwood Bible and that book offered a much more complex view of the culture and was not limited to describing dirtiness of water, lack of electricity and bizarre village rituals.

I had been anticipating the release of this novel for a few months after being thoroughly impressed by Christina Meldrum's debut novel and started reading it with a high level of enthusiasm. It is sad it became such a slog in the end. Maybe readers unfamiliar with The Poisonwood Bible will enjoy this book more?

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My take: I am really stumped whether I hated this book or loved it. I am still trying to figure out the symbolism which irritates me that I'm not seeing it more clearly. I'm also trying to figure out whether or not I liked the story itself or just the writing. I'm thinking that it is the writing that draws me as does the African setting. I also enjoyed the character development. Each member of the family became distinct the further I traveled with them.

The time is 1976. Amaryllis is having her 11th birthday. She and Mary Tess come across a dead snake splayed open. They also cross paths with a Native American man. I think the symbolism of the snake is that the evidence dictates that the family face the inevitable truth - Amaryllis has a different father, although Amaryllis' guess is wrong.

Dick (Dad) gets his panties in a wad because he knows it's true, although it's never discussed. He believes the sperm donor is in the vicinity of the summer house and does stuff he shouldn't in an effort to not murder the supposed sperm donor then goes to confession where the priest encourages him to go serve in West Africa. As the reader soon sees, this is laden with irony.

POV is told by all members of the family. This distinguished each person, personality, flaw and strength for me. Dick is buried in his Catholic beliefs, Seena rejects religion and favors mythology, Mary Grace is beautiful and wants desperately to prove she is more than just a pretty face, Mary Catherine, a wounded and pious soul, Mary Tess who loves to stir the pot and Amaryllis, the girl who sees colors with emotion along with other things that natural eyes can not see.

Like I said, the story did not draw me in. The POV and writing style, however, was beautiful and well organized. The author has a solid grasp on language.

[DeB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just noticed Amaryllis in Blueberry on another GR reader's list, and realized it wasn't on mine! I'd like to read it again, because I recall being very satisfied intellectually and emotionally at its finish. I see it compared to The Poisonwood Bible, but aside from Africa and another pastor bringing his family along to share his calling, the similarities end there. The novel develops as it shifts from the internal process of each character, each supplying pieces to the mystery which begin the novel. Faith and philosophy, myth and superstition are challenged, examined, renewed. This is a very lyrical, and almost literary novel, reminding me of Canadian Gail Anderson-Dargstz, who also creates character from settings and gently pries apart flawed selves.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: I loved Madapple. In the three years since that was published I have been periodically checking to see if Meldrum had a new book coming out and I was thrilled when I saw she finally had a new title out. The plot sounding enticing and the cover was gorgeous; I was an eager reader!

First off, I know I am going to be in the minority with my opinion of the book. I didn't like it and I'll keep my review brief because I could get carried away otherwise.

Christina Meldrum's writing is exquisite. It is a pleasure to read and that is what kept me reading this book to the end. Unfortunately, I could not stand the main character, Seena, nor most of the plot. The Slepys are a dysfunctional "Catholic" family; well the father is Catholic and one of the daughters has gone overboard pious. Everyone in the family is very disrespectful of the father's faith and it is obvious the pious daughter is only seeking attention. I was disgusted with some of the plot turns in the Catholic aspect of the story. What bothered me the most, though was Seena, the mother. She was selfish and caught up in her own world, using Greek mythology as her escape route. She stopped loving her husband early in the marriage (which caused him to gradually become a hardened, unable-to-show-his-feelings man). She blamed her husband for marrying her! If "he" hadn't married "her", she wouldn't have left college to become a wife and mother. At the same time she stops loving her husband she stops being an active mother, paying little attention to nor being there with motherly support for her three small daughters. Then she "stalks" and seduces a man, one she has no right to do so, which then starts a short affair ending in the birth of her last child. This child receives, not attention, but the mother's protection and extra bit of effort that it is obvious to the other daughters that she is loved best. A horrible woman, I never grew to like even with the supposedly "redemptive" ending. It was too little, way too late.

Anyway they all go to Africa. The father dragging them there as a bush doctor. Most of them end up liking Africa and getting something out of the experience. I really had a bad taste in my mouth during this book. I felt bad for the father, who had no one, after his wife took everything from him. The book felt very feminist in general and not my cup of tea at all.

I do appreciate the author's writing style though and having loved Madapple and hated Amaryllis, both to such extremes, I will certainly read her next book. (Hoping, of course, I will like the story.) Her writing makes me feel strongly and that is the sign of a good author.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for more from this book. More Yllis, in particular. She may be the title character, but the book really wasn't about her at all. It was more about Seena and Grace and Catie.

I found the story repetitive, and the jumping around didn't add to the story, it just made it annoying because just as I started to get into a thread, it would go and change.

The ending was a letdown, it was just so anti-climatic with no surprises. Overall, the book just didn't satisfy me at all.

[Karielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embarking on tragedy, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a deep, probing novel surrounding the implications and consequences of neglect, unfaithfulness, and ignorance upon a middle-class suburban family whose fate is redirected as a result of thoughtless actions and their reckless outcomes. As a whole, I feel this book tries too hard to have as profound an effect as The Poisonwood Bible did, with a reference right inside the jacket flap. Now, I've read The Poisonwood Bible and it's one of my favorites; I know Amaryllis in Blueberry is not exactly the same—the themes, morals, and overall effect are all different—but the premise itself is one that cannot be created without being compared: a mother, father, and four daughters are plucked out of Betty Crocker America and plopped into the wilderness that is Africa, and their lives are changed forever.

Here's a line that sums up the Slepys:

[They] are all islands unto themselves, and while each island may have clean water and electricity and toilets that flush, being isolated on an island is lonely indeed.

Each of the characters, while extensively explored and unrooted, are at their foundation, very shallow. I didn't particularly like or dislike any of them. Dick Slepy, head of household, is extremely ordinary and particularly foolish for constantly urging the impossible:

[He] thinks he can will himself a Dane and will his wife affectionate and will his children respectful, [and also] thinks demanding a perfect family, while snapping a photo of what looks like one, is the equivalent of having one.

Seena, on the other hand, is complex and ephemeral, like the angel of death herself, but she's equally out of touch with reality, and so even though Meldrum does fabulously at portraying her mother's perspective, I didn't know whether to have compassion or resentment for her. Seena's actions are the pivot point of the entire novel, and their repercussions will take away breaths, taint souls, smother goodness, stain lives, and stalk her forever; this in and of itself was fascinating to read, fascinating discover how small acts of selfishness and of passion could unravel and destroy what's left of everything.

Stylistically Amaryllis in Blueberry is profuse in description, but still frustratingly vague. While I liked the richness, I found Meldrum's prose too redundant and syrupy at times.

However, in terms of message and delivery, I was awed by the convoluted, conscious way in which the painful truths of the human heart are presented in the backdrop of Africa. The last few chapters will especially consume—and not to mention, confuse—you, so even thought it starts off sluggishly, I definitely recommend reading it until the very end.

Pros
Fantastic biblical allusions and references to Greek mythology // Gorgeous prose // Vivid, memorable, and well-expressed characters // Poignant, tender message about humanity and society

Cons
Flowery language that isn't as penetrating as it would like to be; I had to reread some sentences several times to get their meanings // Far-fetched attempt at imitating The Poisonwood Bible

Love

... Envy is not green. And rage isn't red hot, and the blues have nothing to do with blue. Envy is more dust-colored, a transparent sort of gray. It quivers, like heat rising. Rage itself is not any shade of red—it's not any color at all. It's a smell, a fried-up fish. Melancholy? The blues? Melancholy's more of a shimmer than any color. And it creeps: blues on the move.

Verdict
Christina Meldrum skillfully examines the exquisite human psyche by bringing to light the importance—and devastation—of deception, hidden meaning, falsified untruths, and verified dismissals; this is what makes Amaryllis in Blueberry thought-provoking, strangely beautiful, and absolutely stirring. While some of the prose was a bit too lavish, and the idea of an ordinary American family meeting its ruin upon being caught up in Africa, unoriginal (Barbara Kingsolver ripoff, hello), in its essence, this book is a rare and startling glimpse at a tragedy turned extraordinary, brimming with perceptive truth and soul.

Rating
8 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): An engaging read; highly recommended.

Source
Complimentary copy provided by LibraryThing Member Reviews in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).

[Melissa Crytzer Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only was the title of this book absolutely delicious, so, too, was the language. This literary novel wove together Greek mythology, faith, and family drama and offered a metaphorical feast. The story did not disappoint plot-wise as the tension and stakes were raised at the story’s conclusion.

Amaryllis in Blueberry is the story of a family with four young daughters – a family that is rapidly falling apart at the seams, and of a distant mother who was never quite available emotionally to her children (all but one). That decline is accelerated when the family moves to West Africa where each character is thrust into unfathomable circumstances that force each to do a great deal of soul-searching.

The story is told in eight points of view with alternating “The End,” and “After” designations to guide the reader from past to present and “After Africa” and “Before Africa.” To some readers, this format and layout may be jarring, but I actually enjoyed moving in and out of time and getting in the heads of each character to hear his/her different perspectives (many times of the same events with completely different interpretations).

If you enjoy character-driven literary novels with deeply philosophical characters, this novel is a must-read.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure about this one. It kept me reading, and I am not usually keen on the subject of Africa, and I enjoyed the story jumping from each characters viewpoint, also something I usually disdain (if not done well it just feels like too many voices inside your head). Amaryllis is a love child gifted or cursed (depending on your viewpoint) with synthesia. With this she senses the things that are souring the family but alongside her youthful naivety isn't able to do much with what she senses. The family moves to Africa to work as missionaries. Everything sort of bursts open there, and chaos clamors for the spotlight. All the daughters are damaged in their own way, death chases the family and Seena's (the mother) past sins send death collecting. The story is sort of scrambled in my head, it certainly stays with you. Ignorance plays a big role to be sure and never had any other parents been blind to the storms brewing in their children. Strange read indeed, but with Dick (the father) a bit of a religious fanatic proudly feeding his daughter's, Mary Grace, diet of sainthood aspirations, is it any wonder everything goes to hell? My review is off, but my head is still saying 'huh?'

[Amy Fremgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another story about a crazed father taking his family on a religious/charitable do-gooder mission to a 4th (worst than 3rd) world country where disasters occur. It reminds me of 'Mosquito Coast' and 'PoisonWood Bible' although each ending is unique. This novel is beautifully written and the African countryside (no county is specified) is achingly real. Although published in 2011, the main action occurs in the fall of 1976 with flash backs to earlier times. 1976 is important because it's a time when women still felt they could not support themselves without a husband and thus this woman felt forced to go with her husband and children to Africa. Amaryllis is the 4th daughter, after 3 Marys (all named for saints), and she looks strikingly different from her older blond, sisters. I wonder why. It's an interesting and unusual story. I recommend it to readers who want something a little different.

[Grail Aring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read an advance copy of this book. It was not what I'd expected based on the cover, but I actually really loved it. It is a combination of murder mystery, family drama and culture clash. A seemingly ordinary midwestern American family heads to West Africa for missionary work, only to have their secrets laid bare. The author writes beautifully and left me with a lot to think about. For a literary book, it was a page turner.

[Michael Bourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading the advance copy and what a stunner. The language is fresh and consistently gorgeous, and the portrait of this complex family thrown into the confusion of an ill-conceived trip to Africa is spellbinding. I liked this author's first novel, but this one is even better.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I bother with this - the characters in this book are a bunch of twits.

[Teryn]

A very slow start. It is worth persevering.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amaryllis in Blueberry is the captivating tale of a family ripped from their hometown in Michigan and forced to plant missionary roots in rural Africa. Worlds away from their former lives, Dick and his wife, Seena, must somehow bind their family of four daughters, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine, and Amaryllis, together once again. They were lost in a world where they were held together by society, but the lack of a set society might just be what they need to find each other again. But the change in life prompts unexpected changes in Seena and propels their unique little family on a journey of discovery, loss, and ultimately truth.

I received Amaryllis in Blueberry from a fellow book blogger to review, and while this isn’t my normal type of book to review, I was captivated by the story of this strange family and the pseudo-black sheep, Amaryllis. Amaryllis has this unique ability to sense the truth in a sea of lies and to see a bit of the future and the past all at once, making her into a little web of mystery in a story of this family’s journey to discovery. I have to say that Christina Meldrum has an absolutely stunning writing style. Fluid and melodic, she weaves the reader into a world of magic and mystery, showing you slivers of truth along the way and compelling you to keep reading.

While I loved the premise of the story, and the author’s writing was exceptional, I have to admit that the descriptiveness got a bit heavy at times, jarring me from the story, itself. Furthermore, while I loved reading about the family as individuals, I felt that the motives that led Dick to move his family from their Michigan home were a bit too light in the context of the story. All that aside though, the portrayal of two vastly different worlds and lifestyles in Amaryllis in Blueberry was exceptional, and was probably the highlight of the book for me. I simply would have liked a bit more tension, I suppose, to propel the book towards the climax.

Amaryllis in Blueberry is definitely more adult than the books I normally read, but I’m trying to broaden my literary horizons and open this blog up to a bit more. All in all, it was a good book, and one that I’d highly recommend to those who normally enjoy adult novels. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and fans of contemporary fiction are sure to enjoy it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess that the title and the cover of this book intrigued me. I knew it was a book I would have to read. This book is about the Slepy family. They are as dysfunctional as a family can get in my opinion. Dick and Seena are married to each other but they don't seem to be much of a couple. Dick is involved in his religion and Seena seems to live in mythical dream world. When Dick decides to move Seena and his 4 girls- Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, Mary Catherine and Amaryllis to Africa to practice medicine in the bush, I got the distinct feeling some in the family were running from something. Boy was that an understatement! As you can see Amaryllis has a very different name from her sisters. She was born in a blueberry patch and has blueberry eyes to match her birthplace. Amaryllis seems to be her mother's favorite, even though her mother is not exactly the mothering type. The story begins at the end with Seena on trial in Africa for Dick's murder. The story then goes back and forth between their life in Michigan and how the family ended up in Africa and what happened after they arrived in Africa. When the family lived in Michigan, they had problems. Dick and Seena didn't seem to notice what was going on in any of their daughter's lives right under their noses. When they arrived in Africa, all hell really breaks loose and the two find out that they really should have been paying more attention to their children as well as each other. The book is well written and riveting. If I hadn't been so busy, this is a book I would have read in one sitting. Starting the book with the ending was brilliant! The ending was a big surprise for me with many twists and turns. All I could say when I finished it was, "Wow!" I hate to say too much about the story as it is one you should really experience. There are many surprises in this book! I highly recommend this book. It is also a great book for discussion which would make it an excellent choice for book clubs and groups. This is a book that I be thinking about for a long time.

[Julie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...

First sentence: Dick is dead.

This book opens with Christina Slepy (Seena) on trial in West Africa for the murder of her husband. The court is a customary court made up of the village elders, a witch doctor and queen among them.

A mother who wanted to be a classics scholar, whose dream was taken when she became pregnant by a man she meets in college ... a daughter who has ynesthesia (she tastes and smells feelings and sees their colors) ... other daughters who are, in turn: overly pious, vain, and rebellious ... all go to live in West Africa in the medical missionary field when a possessive husband finds out that his wife has been unfaithful to him.

Within the confusing confines of Africa, this novel is colored with betrayal, treachery, and mysteries that slowly peel away, page by page, and an ending that will surprise you.

QUOTE: Dick was a racist, she knew Not a malicious racist. A thank-God-I'm-white kind of racist: there but for the grace of God go I.

Book Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

My husband brought home an Advance Reader's edition of this book a few months back, and I just now got around to reading it. It's the story of the Slepy family, and the father who suddenly decides they are all moving to Africa where he will serve as a medical missionary.

I did finish this book, mainly because I kept waiting for it to get better. I had a hard time getting into it in the first place, and should have just stopped at that point. In short, I found it tedious, with poorly-drawn characters, and a story that was neither new in any way, nor well-written.

If you want to read a book about a family and their experiences when they are all taken to Africa by the father of the family, read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Not exactly the same story, but close enough and so much better.

[J.Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this, but I could not get into it and the way that the viewpoint jumped around between the father, mother, and all four girls was difficult to follow. The story starts off with the mother on trial for murdering her husband and from there; it quickly backtracks into past events that have lead up to the trial. In my opinion, for this to have been more successful I needed to have been more compelled by the trial in the beginning. For me, this part did not impart a sense of “I have to know what brought this woman to the point of killing her husband” and because I didn’t care, I didn’t have any motivation to plow through confusing “voice” shifts. Also, I did not like the mother as a character at all. She was a pitiful, selfish mother and it stressed me out to read about it. For all of these reasons, I did not finish the book. The cover of the book is pretty though, no?

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommend - Every once in a while I discover a book that I need to read slowly, I believe a great book should be read slowly...why rush to finish a wonderful experience?
I loved this novel - from the time spent in America and the events leading up to the decision to go to Africa, to the traditions of an African tribe and, how these traditions impact on the Slepy family.

Told from different points of view, this is a story filled with secrets and explores the struggle of being loved vs loving someone. Mix in African traditions versus American values and this book will keep you on your toes.

Please visit Christina Meldrum's website to learn about her personal journey and to listen to an interview and more.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well written with complex characters each giving their own point of view. The characters were believable and just as important as the plot to the story. They were constantly questioning themselves in regard to their beliefs and actions, which made them very realistic and added meaning to the book. There was a lot of self-exploration and discovery as the characters had new experiences in a foreign land. I also liked that the author included African culture and a little bit of history into the book. I enjoyed the exploration of family relationships, and Yllis' magical gift added another level to this dynamic. Amaryllis in Blueberry was thouroughly entertaining and I would definitely recommend it.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gag! I'm feeling generous so that's about the only reason this book received two stars. I was so bored in this book. The constant Greek references were boring and added nothing for me. I enjoyed the Michigan influence in the beginning. In fact, upon trying to collect my thoughts that was the only positive I could think of. I thought the writing style was very "young". I guess that's how I can describe it. It looked very blog like and not professional. It relied on parenthesis to get across thought or to clarify thought. The slang was out of style for the 1970's setting. I could go on and on but I won't. I probably will not try anything by this author again unless she writes something with rave reviews and I'm intrigued by the story.

[Melissa Meldrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The writing is beautiful. The plot flows along and a nice pace and the story is complex. I enjoyed all the little details that I remember from the 70s and learning about African culture. The story brings home the fact that the arrogance of Americans can lead to tragic results. My favorite scene was near the end when Christina tells her girls about their dad. Truly brought tears to my eyes. This is a must read!

[HadiDee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Told in 8 voices (3 of them are very brief) but none of them are particularly interesting or likeable. Seena the mother is horrible: self absorbed, selfish, weak and ignoring her girls and playing favorites with the youngest.

[Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really makes you think about relationships and communication. Great story.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty entertained by this book at first, and then I realized all this dramatic stuff was happening and I didn't care about any of the characters. The mother character is especially unlikeable.

[Lynn Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum opens with the wife and mother, Seena on trial for the murder of her husband in a West African village in 1976. The doctor-husband, Dick had recently relocated his wife and four daughters there to practice medicine though he was really a practitioner. He left Michigan after the family priest thought it would be a good idea for him to leave the area because of his rage towards his wife’s unknown lover.

He has finally come to grips with the fact that his youngest girl, Amaryllis, is not his and she believes her father is an Indian that she met on a trail while they were visiting their summer cottage. She looks nothing like her sisters Mary Grace, Mary Catherine nor Mary Tessa. The African men did not believe that was Amaryllis was Seena’s either. She had to bribe them to get through Customs.
Yet, Amaryllis has a gift as a seer and is often able to warn her family of things to come. West Africa holds many surprises for them while each one is harboring a secret. Mary Grace is pregnant; Mary Catherine is suicidal, refuses to eat and cuts herself and Mary Tessa is overly sensitive to her surroundings and becomes very ill. Dick knows that he not trained to be a real village doctor and Seena still reminisces about her secret lover, Amaryllis biological father.
Events unfold with a level of rapidity in the village as Africa changes all of them forever. One man proposes to two of the sisters, Mary Grace’s pregnancy becomes publicly known and a telegram arrives from the States which makes Dick go berserk. He physically attacks his wife until someone shoots a slingshot that hits him in the heart. Seena takes the blame and is on trial in the center of town. Who really pulled the slingshot? Will Seena be allowed to leave the village and return to Michigan? Will Mary Grace keep her baby? What has Mary Catherine done to make her want to end her life? Will Mary Tessa survive Africa? Most importantly, who on earth is Amaryllis’s father? Read Amaryllis in Blueberry and see how it all turns out!

[Jenny Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading this novel over a week and a half ago. I didn't want to scrawl off a review hastily. I had to let it sit for awhile...

"Dick is dead. Seena knows this, of course: her husband is dead. Yet she keeps expecting him to barrel in, his enormous, gangling self plodding along, a spectacle unaware that he is one."

And thus begins Amaryllis in Bluberry.

The novel works from the end to the beginning. Seena Slepy is on trial in a West African village for the murder of her husband, Dick Slepy, missionary. Her judge and jury are the village elders, a witch doctor, and a queen. Through a series of various perspectives and the intertwining of past and present, the reader is given tantalizing glimpses of the motivations that have landed Dick and Seena Slepy to this current tragedy.

The parents of four daughters-- Mary Grace, Mary Catherine, Mary Tess and the youngest, Amaryllis-- Seena and Dick have abruptly departed from their home in Danish Landing, Michigan to escape their individual demons and their rapidly disintegrating marriage. Emotionally guarded, more at home among her mythology than in the real world, Seena has separated herself from her husband and her children, with the exception of Amaryllis. Dick, a pathologist, decides he will follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a missionary. The implication of this move has far reaching consequences for their daughters. They are suddenly propelled into a country where food is a luxury, good health is a dream, and education is a myth. Gender can mean the difference between whether or not you can read, whether or not you are shunned, whether or not you are someone's slave.

Each individual in this beautifully flawed family is depicted with impressive clarity:

Mary Grace is the beauty who is tired of the role in which she's been cast. She's more than her relationships, more than her looks, and more than what those who are closest to her conceive her to be. Struggling with her own identity and her future (and also the oldest of the daughters), she goes to Africa of her own free will instead of staying enrolled at the university.

Mary Tessa is the daredevil who never halts for the danger signs. Until she goes to Africa and sees the tenuous link to life. The throbbing undercurrent of death, ever present. The suddent snatching of life, in a moment, regardless of age.

Mary Catherine is the daughter most like her mother, and yet most different. A child of the church, she holds true to her faith despite her mother's ridicule and her own crises. Or maybe because of it. She alternates between cutting herself and starving herself as she values the spiritual life more than the earthly one. Her road to some semblance of enlightenment is very interesting.

Amaryllis-Blue eyed, dark child. Youngest. Different in temperament and looks. Favorite child of her mother. Synesthete (something I hadn't read about until this novel). Seer of truth, lies, and everything in between. Adamant that her father is not Dick Slepy, but a Native American Indian she encountered while collecting firewood with Mary Tessa.

Christina Slepy--A woman who on the outside sacrifices her life to her family and her children, but on the inside gives nothing of herself away to them. She wraps herself in the mythology and the gods and goddesses of the past, in order to escape the life that she is living now. She regards her husband with a combination of contempt and animosity. She sums up her children in a catch-phrases (The Beauty, The Daredevil, The Saint, and The Favorite) and never gets to know who they are until she is forced to. Until her oblivion wrenches them further from her than she ever through possible.

Dick Slepy-A man of religion who has his own demons with which he wrestles. A past that haunts him. A wife who shuns him. Shortcomings that plague him. A daughter whose mere presence taunts him with suspicions of his wife's infidelity. A sudden choice to leave life as they know it behind, in order to stay together. The hope of redemption for all of them.

This is an ambitious novel with enormous scope.

Let me tell you why it fell just short of brilliant. The book felt a bit didactive. I felt the author's hand, pushing me in a certain direction. It was always there, nudging. The mythology wasn't woven in as well as it could have been.

Ex: Seena is Psyche and intentionally leaving name blank is Eros. He vists her, yet he is invisible to her, and she is in love with him even though she can't see him. Yet isn't it Seena who lit the lamp? Isn't it she who made him run from her? And now she roams the earth, trying in vain to find him and to lose him.

While I loved the mythological aspect, it could have been embedded better, and I suspect that for those who won't like this novel, the mythology will play a huge role.

There were too many obvious, trite phrases

Ex: He is dust from dust. Ashes from ashes. Dead as a doornail. And she has the devil to pay.

Despite these shortcomings, the novel was a joy to read, and it is a certain reread for me. But because I saw the glimmer of genius in Meldrum, this novel was a double edge sword of joy and disappointment for me.
Don't let that keep you from reading this novel. It's still amazing. The scenes are illustrated with such care, you feel you are right in the middle of both Michigan and later West Africa. The ceremonies celebrated by the people and the conditions in which they live are mangificently delineated.

Also, this a wonderful read for feminists. The female characters all refuse to become who others expect them to be. While they make many mistakes along the way, you can't call any one of them shrinking violets.

One wonderful passage:

Even so, Seena mostly complied, let Dick own her on the surface, let him touch nothing beneath. He'd possess her body at times, but that was the surface--another incarnation of taking his name. It was form. Not content. Ritual, not meaning.

So she could cling to the meaningless.

Why didn't she see this? she wonders. Why was she so determined to hollow herself out, let nothing in? So that when lust rained down on her--this torrent--there was nothing at all to keep it out. It trickled into every crack, through every seam. Every cranny and crater and concave void in her being was transformed from parched to pulsing. And she mistook this pulsing for meaning.

[Annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think the author intended her book to be compared to Poisonwood Bible, much like Ryan Adams the singer said in an interview that he was sick of people at concerts shouting at him to play the song from Robin Hood...it can't be helped.

Enough similarities call for comparison, and yet enough differences keep it apart. I loved Poisonwood Bible. I did not care for this, though I did finish it and spend time thinking about it. So, author still wins.

The dad in this family isn't a preacher, but agrees to a medical mission field position in Africa in the mid 1970s. He has a wife, who is far from doting and loving, and four daughters, non of whom are likeable. Really, none of the characters are likeable.

I found no redeeming factors for the family, it just kept getting worse and worse. I suppose this works for a beach read or something but I can't recommend it. Poisonwood Bible fans might be curious.

[Nicholas George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I admired this novel's ambitious premise--a doctor sweeps his wife and four young daughters off to a remote African village in the early 1970s, where the vastly different culture prompts a catharsis for each--the cumulative effect was somehow less than I had hoped. The story is framed with the observations of the youngest daughter Amaryllis (known as Yllis), who is something of a spiritually-gifted savant (at an African slave memorial she 'sees' the souls of departed slaves). This gives the novel an aspect of magical realism that is more peripherally referenced in scenes with the other characters. There are dark secrets ultimately unveiled, and themes of sexuality, marital love, and family bonds are nicely woven in, which only make me wish I had liked it more.

[Sarah Vigen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing I can say - this is an oddly interesting book. The family was odd, I guess dysfunctional, but odd. Moving to Africa was odd, all the things that happened in a few short days after arriving in Africa was VERY odd. The plot could have been good but it was so chopped up and bounced all over the place. I kept reading, thinking it would get better, wanting to know how this all came together, and I finished it, but it was oddly disappointing. As others have commented, it has a beautiful cover and title. I would give the cover a 4!!