Sea Change by Karen WhiteMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ava never felt like she belonged to her family - youngest sister of four brothers, who could be identified as funeral directors, just like her father. She had always deeply yearned for a sister. When Ava suddenly announced she was marrying Matthew and leaving landlocked Antioch, GA for the seashores of St. Simons Island, her mother Gloria took to her bed. Oddly enough as she left, her grandma Mimi, who had lived with Mimi forever, reminded her that some endings are really beginnings. As they draw closer to the island what Matthew doesn't know is that Ava, a professional midwife, has a very deep rooted fear of the water. Matthew has a few secrets of his own - some that when come to light, threaten their new marriage. As Ava settles in her home, she has a feeling of really coming home - it seems the house holds many secrets of its own and it's up to Ava to unlock them.
This is one of the best books I have read in awhile - it contains beautiful descriptions of the lush island and of earlier times so that it feels as if you are in that time period. Told with the voices and thoughts of three women, history and modern times entangle themselves into a story that is just so hard to put down.
As a gardener myself I love these two phrases:
"Ava and I had always known that sticking our fingers in the dirt was a lot like holding the past and the present in your hands, understanding that decaying plants nourished the soil for new seedlings" and "being a mother is like being a gardener of souls."
...and one more:
"Because sometimes we have to be a hero and do the right thing, even if it's just for one person and even if nobody else notices."
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