Why I picked it: I have been wanting to read this book since reading Amaryllis in Blueberry, which I loved. Synopsis: Madapple tells the story of Maren Hellig and her 16-year-old daughter Aslaug, who live off the land in rural Maine, foraging for wild plants that nourish them physically and spiritually. The pair's mysterious existence is laid bare when Aslaug has to stand trial for her mother's murder.
Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention--and of the darkest corners of the human soul.
Quick Take: The sentence just above caught my attention, and with my book club often preferring YA I thought this would be an interesting choice.
Told in flashbacks while Aslaug is on trial for murdering her mother, I was kept engaged with an always twisting plot that sometimes took a strange turn. Aslaug's knowledge/education comes from books and her mother's teachings, but she lacks life experience, she and her mother are hermits.
Reflecting back on the book, Aslaug was a victim of circumstance. I lost interest in the botany details, there's also mythology and religion, suspense and love, incest and the 'r' word. I appreciated this book and the authors imagination but my book club didn't care for it... if you want to read a Christina Meldrum novel, I might suggest starting with her second novel which I enjoyed it very much.
Rating: 3 stars
Source: Personal Copy
