Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her family and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and travelled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But these two estranged women come together at their father's deathbed standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, to hear the one last promise he extracts from the women in his life.
It begins with a story like no other. A captivating, mysterious love story that spans sixty-five years and moves from war torn Leningrad in the 1940's to modern-day Alaska. The three women are brought together by a story so unexpected and extraordinary that when Meredith and Nina finally learn the secret of their mother's past and uncover a truth so terrible, it will shake the very foundation of the family and who they think they are.
Following the death of their father, sisters Meredith and Nina must come together and care for their elderly mother, Anya, a woman who is cold, distant and never offered them the warmth of a mother's love. This has had a major impact on their family dynamics. Meredith and Nina have bonded deeply with their father but their ability to love in their own personal relationships has been stymied by the lack of complete love they have experienced as children. Winter Garden traces their journey coming to understand their mother as she fulfils her husband's dying wish to share her life story with her daughters.
The narrative shifts between past and present as Anya slowly shares the story of her experiences caring for her family during the Siege of Leningrad. What unfolds are her traumatic experiences of love, loss, starvation, deprivation, the brutality of war and the horrific toll it took on her family. Meredith and Nina unexpectedly come to support their mother as she gradually comes to terms with her trauma, and through the sharing of her life story the family gradually begin to forge new bonds.
I read The Women by Hannah last year, another exploration of the impact of war through the eyes of the women who experience it and Winter Garden didn't disappoint. In fact, when presented with a twist in the final pages of the book I was caught by surprise when it brought me to tears. I say it caught me by surprise because in truth there were times when I was reading the novel that I felt like something was missing. Hannah's exploration of the sisters' emotional development didn't always feel as deep as it could have and the behaviour didn't always feel true to character. I also couldn't help but be reminded of Paulina Simmons's exploration of the Siege of Leningrad in The Bronze Horseman and in comparison, Winter Garden left me a little wanting. I accept that's probably an unfair comparison given The Bronze Horseman is an historical novel set during the siege and Winter Garden is a far more contemporary novel that explores the Whitson family dynamics. That's why I was caught surprise when I was brought to tears by the end of the novel.
Winter Garden explores how our own personalities and lives are shaped by our parents, family dynamics, childhood experiences and in this case intergenerational trauma caused by war and displacement.
What I am coming to really appreciate about Hannah's writing is how capable she is of immediately creating a connection between the reader and the characters. I fall straight into her stories so naturally and look forward to reading more by her.
3.5 / 5 stars: I was caught by surprised at this novel's impact on me and I recommend it.
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