1959 was a different time, when gender roles were fixed and one naive mistake can change everything. Diane found this out the hard way and not only loses her future dreams but also herself and eventually her mind. Diane's husband Richard, barely a man when he put the ring on Diane's finger, struggles to understand and keep the family together. Ultimately it is their daughter, Frankie who pays the price and learns that not all mothers are as loving as they should be.
The House Beside the Cherry Tree tells the story from each family member's perspective in a very personal and intimate way.
1959 was a different time, when gender roles were fixed and one naive mistake can change everything. Diane found this out the hard way and not only loses her future dreams but also herself and eventually her mind. Diane's husband Richard, barely a man when he put the ring on Diane's finger, struggles to understand and keep the family together. Ultimately it is their daughter, Frankie who pays the price and learns that not all mothers are as loving as they should be.
The House Beside the Cherry Tree tells the story from each family member's perspective in a very personal and intimate way.
The cherry tree was blighted. Its leaves curled and black. Strange resin oozed from its trunk; a cut that never healed. Small grubs and creatures crawled around its gnarled bark. That area of the garden was dark and unpleasant to visit. The tree had never borne wholesome fruit or attractive flowers.
I hated the tree right from the outset. I complained to my husband, Richard, but he continued digging and planted it anyway, whistling a Nat King Cole tune as he did so. I hated whistling and didn’t care much for Nat King Cole either. I spent that afternoon sulking. I spent a lot of afternoons sulking. After planting the tree, Richard left. He jumped in the car, started up the engine and drove off - I didn't know what time to expect him back, I never did.
Twenty-six years on and the tree was still there. Standing solid, its bold outline scratching at the sky, blighted leaves lying on the ground infecting everything they touched. Then, in the springtime, it burst into blossom, spreading pink petal showers around the garden, leaving a trail of small confetti drifts in odd corners. It seemed a poetic act given I had buried Richard in the January.
I felt a tinge of pleasure as I stood at the kitchen window and watched the tree surgeon start up the chainsaw. With an air of nonchalance, he carved and cut. Shavings flew on the air as the cutting chain whined and bit. Branch after branch fell to the ground. As each one fell, I felt lighter, giddy almost.
When they hauled all the logs and debris away, I went down to the bottom of the garden to inspect the work. The stump looked stark. I bent down to look closer at the rings and suddenly, spontaneously, spat on its heart.
Whew! This novel is not for the faint of heart. It is a gritty family drama about the ties that bind, and the mental illness that betrays the concept of family.
Beginning with a flash-forward to Diane's spiteful act to the cherry tree in their yard, it traces the origin of her distaste for it as a symbol of family and love.
When she first got pregnant, Diane barely knew Richard, and yet their parents forced the young couple together. It's "what was done" back in that era -- and while Richard jumped at the chance, eager to marry the woman he loved... Diane felt absolutely horrified. She barely remembers their encounter; her virginity was squandered to a boy she barely even liked. She was not in love, and had no plans to fall in love with him.
Richard's almost immediate pull away from the family to follow his military career also had a negative impact on Diane, who felt alone in her dismay and unqualified to become the concept of "mother" and "wife". She soon sought love elsewhere, and this led her down a dark path emotionally. As Richard fought, at first, to keep his family together, she railed against him at every step of the way.
When he finally gives up on them, Diane's mental illness only worsens. By the time Frankie is old enough to understand, she is already aware of her mother's rage and cowers from her mood swings. When tragedy hits, it sends Diane further down that dark path, and she has a breakdown. The novel's ebbs and flows chart Diane's volatile nature over the years as Frankie matures and realises that not all mothers are like this -- nor should they be. As the novel winds to a close, ending the first part of a trilogy, things come to a head between Diane and Frankie, and irrevocable decisions are made.
I loved and hated this novel because it made me feel things deeply. I was able to connect so much with each character, and the writer does an excellent job of making each voice sound distinct. I really appreciated the way it unfolds gradually to explore how mental illness expands over time like a dark stain on the family -- until it becomes entrenched. There are a few uplifting parts that seem promising and redemptive, but they are soon crushed by Diane's overwhelming struggles, which in turn affect everyone else. It made for a bumpy, scary, fragile ride of a novel that had me frantically turning the pages to see what would happen next!
There were a few very minor bits and pieces that detracted from the overall reading experience -- in terms of pacing, the timeline jumps around a bit and took some getting used to, as multiple characters are recalling incidents at different times from different viewpoints. But overall, this is an exquisite tale of the dark side of love, marriage, and mental illness.
This novel was raw and emotional. It is well written in its characterization, as you love each character and hate them at the same time -- they are all fundamentally and fabulously flawed. While you despise Diane's treatment of her family, you also feel sorry for the pressures she feels as a woman of that time. Similarly, Richard's approach was infuriating at times, though he was just trying to do his best. This novel really makes you think deeply and consider these characters' motives, making it feel like a true story or memoir. I can't wait to see what happens next in this trilogy, and I look forward to reading more from this new author.