Review of "Fresh Water for Flowers: A Novel" by Valérie Perrin

 

Violette Trenet, born to a mother who doesn't want her, is thought to be stillborn until she unexpectedly turns pink and takes a breath. Violette then grows up in a series of indifferent foster homes, and by the age of 17, is living in a hostel and working as a bartender.

It's then that Violette meets gorgeous, golden-haired twentysomething Phillipe Toussaint and instantly falls in love.



Violette and Philippe are soon living in a small house in a French town, working as level crossing keepers.



In reality, this means that Violette operates the gates about 15 times a day while Philippe plays videogames, rides his motorcycle, and hooks up with other women.



Moreover, Philippe contributes nothing to the household, and Violette scrimps and saves to pay bills, buy food, purchase household goods, buy clothes, etc.

When the level crossing is automated and the couple lose their jobs, Philippe is dismayed by the thought of going to work.



But Violette finds an advertisement for cemetery keepers in Bourgogne, which comes with an all-expenses-paid house, and the couple soon have new employment. Violette again does all the work while Philippe plays games, rides his bike, and philanders - but Violette is content with her home and vegetable garden.



Then one day Philippe leaves for good, without even a goodbye.

Violette is happy working in the graveyard. She opens the gates in the morning and closes them in the evening; attends the interments and transcribes the eulogies into her journal; offers refreshments to - and chats with - the people who come to visit their loved ones; grows and sells flowers; takes care of graves when family members are away; looks after pets who arrive with their deceased owners and never leave; deals with teenagers who sneak into the cemetery at night (this is a hoot!); and more.



Violette also likes the people she works with: the gravediggers/caretakers - Nono; Gaston; and Elvis; the undertakers - Pierre, Paul and Jacques Lucchini; and the priest - Father Cedric Duras. These colleagues frequently drop into Violette's house, for a cup of coffee and a chat.



Violette's co-workers are a colorful bunch, and we read about clumsy Gaston falling into an open grave; Elvis singing his namesake's songs; handsome Father Duras inspiring ladies to come to church; reliable Nono helping out when Violette is away; the undertakers fretting when business is bad; and more. Violette also talks about people buried in the cemetery, in whose lives she takes an interest.



The book alternates back and forth between the past and the present, and we slowly learn about the joys and sorrows in Violette's life. We read about Violette's happiness when her daughter Leonine is born.....



.....and Leonine becoming a beautiful blonde sprite who loves magic.



We also learn about Violette's overbearing mother-in-law, who raises her son to be a selfish narcissist;



a cemetery keeper called Sasha, who helps Violette through dark times;



a woman named Celia, who becomes Violette's cherished confidante; and more.



One of Violette's closest relationships begins when she's middle-aged. A handsome police detective called Julien Seul knocks on Violette's door and tells her that his mother Irene just died.



Instead of being buried with her husband, Irene left instructions to inter her with a man named Gabriel Prudent, who's in Violette's cemetery. Julien probes the relationship between Irene and Gabriel, and in Scheherazade-like fashion, slowly spins out the tale for Violette.....so he can keep seeing her.



The illicit romance between Irene and Gabriel is revealed bit by bit, as is the growing rapport between Violette, Julien, and Julien's seven-year-old son Nathan.

There's also a mysterious tragedy in the story, and exploring this event reveals dark secrets as well as hidden depths.

The story begins in a leisurely fashion, then picks up speed and becomes a page turner. This is a beautifully written book about friendship, companionship, love, grief.....and the large and small lives that make up humanity. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Valérie Perrin, and Europa Editions for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4.5 stars