This book surprised me with its complexity of familial relationships and marriage; the perspectives we have of ourselves versus the ones others have of us. The Winter-Blooming Tree focuses in on the Neiderhauser family in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.
[The setting made me realize how few books I’ve read set in Saskatchewan. I learned that Humboldt–named for Alexander von Humboldt–was primarily settled by German families (German Catholics from the US).]
After Ursula and Andreas fell in love, they emigrated to Canada from Basel, Switzerland, and had a daughter named Mia. Mia, in her 30s now, loses her job and comes home temporarily to get back on her feet. She’s surprised to come home to a house full of tension and animosity; when she was young, her parents were embarrassingly full of love and affection for each other, and now they are not even sleeping in the same room.
The chapters are short–alternating between Ursula, Andreas, and Mia–and we are fully in their heads, privy to all their thoughts. Which allows us to see the problematic assumptions and thought patterns between them, particularly between Ursula and Andreas.
A high school science teacher with a PhD in botany, Ursula begins to suspect she is losing her memory. When the neurologist announces that he is 95% sure that Ursula is fine and that her memory issues stem from stress, Ursula’s mind is wandering and believes he’s told her the opposite. From then on, Andreas can’t understand why Ursula is still so upset. When Mia comes home, and with the encouragement of Andreas, tidies and organizes some of Ursula’s things, Ursula loses her mind. Andreas and Mia are at a loss to understand what’s going on.
We, as readers, know exactly what each of them are thinking and why they are behaving in the ways they are, and we want so badly to shout at all of them to sit down and untangle all the miscommunication and secrets they are hiding to “protect” each other.
They were trapped, both of them moths against glass, clumsily bumping at one another through the opposite sides of a picture window, batting and smashing their papery wings, caught in the illusion that they could reach the other side, connect with one another, if only they tried hard enough.
One of the things that perpetuates the problem is that neither of them have anyone to talk to: no one to help them see things in a different way. Things begin to change when Andreas accidentally makes an unlikely friend, highlighting the power of friendship and empathy, as well as talking out the hard things rather than just the pleasant.
This book would have made a great one for the Literary Wives and anyone else who loves books about marriage and family. It is heavily character-driven and thought-driven – once you give it a chance to build up, you won’t want to put it down.
Further Reading:
Prairie Flower Reads: “Barbara Langhorst deftly captures the dynamics of a family in flux. Each character is convincingly authentic and the conflicts they struggle through are startlingly relatable.“
Open Book Interview with Barbara Langhorst: “The Winter-Blooming Tree shows us a crisis of lapsed memories, eerie dreams, and broken boundaries, narrated by three unreliable but well-intentioned family members whose interpretations of reality are so at odds that they can’t agree upon a name for the cat.“
Thank you to Barbara Langhorst and Palimpsest Press for sending me a copy of this book!
Consumed by Ink 
My wife really liked this book. Lots of tissues were destroyed in her reading of it. My experience was not as emotional. 🙂
I cried, too! I’m happy to have some company. 🙂
Such an interesting premise, and a gorgeous cover, too.
I was totally sucked in!
The plot sounds like it would be potentially frustrating, what with knowing more than the characters know about one another. But it does sounds interesting.
It was hard to fathom at times as to how such non-communication could happen between husband and wife. Not miscommunication (which occurs too), but a total ignorance of the needs, thoughts and feelings of their spouse. Just my 2¢
A testament to your marriage, James! 🙂
I think that’s part of what kept me so engaged – I *needed* to see them work it out!
But it was also fascinating to watch how everything can fall to pieces so easily (with the potential of being put to rights so easily, too).
I’ve witnessed this ‘not hearing what the doctor says’ twice now, so I understand when an elderly friend asks me to come with her to specialist appointments. in case she misses something. I take a notepad, to jot down what is said, so that she doesn’t have to rely on my memory…
I think the brain switches off when it hears what it doesn’t want to hear. The key question is whether the person is subsequently open to being told about what the doc said. If they’re stuck in denial, it’s really, really hard to shake it.
Yes! And it can so easily happen if you’re feeling anxious about the appointment in the first place. All your concentration is going to remaining calm, rather than listening carefully.
I love the cover, and the title would have fitted into my flora-themed summer reading. I agree it would work for Literary Wives, too.
I need to go catch up on all your summer reading!!
I definitely want to read this novel. Plus, I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read from Palimpsest Press. They have a great eye for quality!
That’s good to know! And you’ve given me the perfect opportunity to put in a plug for a great book I read from Palimpsest Press a few years ago that just didn’t get nearly enough attention – You Are Among Monsters.
https://consumedbyink.ca/2018/02/27/you-are-among-monsters-by-jon-r-flieger/
One to go on our list for Literary Wives, perhaps?
For sure!
This sounds perfect for me! I don’t believe I’ve reviewed books for Palimpsest Press before either…
I think you’d like it!