Root, Petal, Thorn

September 1, 2016

The house on Downington Avenue in Salt Lake City was the place Ivy Baygren hoped to renovate with her husband. Yet a month after Adam collapsed and died, Ivy herself is on the verge of collapse. When her children panic and call in her brother, he urges her to get her house in order. For Ivy, that means discovering the stories behind it, and those of the women who lived there before her. Who was Emmeline, who resided there in 1913 and planted the still-thriving Emmeline rose? What tale is behind the memory book? Who was the World War II wife and mother? On move-in day, Ivy had glimpsed the woman who sold her the house, but she doesn't know Lainey's history. How much sorrow and joy can one house hold in a century? VERDICT This debut novel succeeds in uniting five flawed, sympathetic characters through the focal point of one house. Olsen points out that sorrows are part of life, but there's continuity and grounding as well. Recommended for fans of Sandra Dallas and readers who appreciate character-driven novels about the daily lives of women.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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