Like a Watered Garden

Like a Watered Garden by Patti Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mibby Garrett, a garden designer, is trying to crawl back from the brink of depression - her beloved husband recently passed away in a bicycle accident. She can't even help her thirteen year old son, Ky, deal with his own grief or feed the poor child, much to her shame. Each day holds "whammies of grief" or terrible reminders of the way life used to be. Thanks to her neighbor, Louise - a well dressed debutante some thirty-something years past, Mibby is kept in home baked sweets and prayers. As page 16 says: "Louise came to make sure my boat was still tied to the dock, that the knot hadn't loosened and set me adrift. She tightened the knot with love, southern style - indulgent and usually fattening." Then there is Blink, the family's black Lab, who appears to read Mibby's mind and comforts her every day. Much to Mibby's surprise and outrage, a young woman appears on her doorstep claiming to be related through Mibby's late husband - will this be the final straw to send her over the edge?

One of the best fictional, humorous books on the slow, painful process and recovery from grief that I've read in a long time - the author's writings remind me a wee bit of Erma Bombeck - a real, feel-good read.

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