Garden Spells

Garden Spells
By Sarah Addison Allen
Bantam Books, 2007. Fiction. 290 pgs.

With a garden that blooms all year round and a set of mysterious gifts, the Waverleys are an established oddity in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Thirty-four-year old Claire works as a caterer, using plants from the Waverley garden to encourage love, to repel evil influences, and to allow night-time picnickers to see in the dark. While Claire has embraced her role as a Waverley, her sister Sydney ran from it and only returns to Bascom to flee an abusive relationship and protect her 5-year-old daughter. Reunited, both sisters are making new discoveries about their places in and out of the family.

This is an interesting novel vaguely reminiscent of Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day or the TV show Pushing Daisies, similar in its magical premise and contemporary setting. Love and relationships are the center of the novel (complete with a few steamy scenes) and that center is surrounded by a strong Southern sensibility and a few quirky characters. I enjoyed a number of the story elements but several things didn’t quite hang together right for me. Regardless, Garden Spells has received some very laudatory reviews and fans of romance and quirky reads will likely enjoy this one.

MBC