I read White Oleander by Janet Fitch over break. I read it a number of years ago but I thought I'd read it again because it is one of the selections for Cafe Library for January.
It is quite an intense book. Astrid's disturbed mother murders her boyfriend and is sent to prison. This leaves Astrid to the foster care system. She is abused physically and mentally at several placements. The one placement that seemed perfect came crashing down when the foster mother committed suicide. This is a book about survival and forgiveness.
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I just finished White Oleander this week and really enjoyed it! It was really hard to put down because I was so interested in so many of the characters.
At first I thought it didn't really relate directly to me, but then I thought about some of the conflicts I have with my mother - they aren't the same kinds of conflicts that Astrid and Ingrid have, but some of the feelings are similar.
On later reflection, though, it seemed like some of the characters were a little stereotypical. Oh well - the storyline was still really interesting and I absolutely loved Janet Fitch's style - her use of imagery and figurative language is really beautiful!
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