I received an advanced copy of author Courtney Miller Santo's first novel The Roots of the Olive Tree...read it...and enjoyed it...very much!
Go ahead...pre-order! It's available August 21.
This novel relates the history of the five Keller women, the oldest of whom is 112, all are the firstborn, a line of daughters, most of whom still live in the family home in California on an olive grove.
Told from various points of view, this novel introduces the reader to these ladies...Anna, Bets, Callie, Deb, and Erin... in bits and pieces, in such an interesting manner. Their stories, of course, intertwine, always with just a hint of the unknown, the secrets that each have, that are revealed, page by page.
I learned much about olives and their history in our nation. More importantly, though, Santo allows the olive trees to become a character within the novel. The olive tree symbolizes the family, the branches the ladies. The roots...yes, they represent the depth of this family...or, at least, that is my interpretation of that symbolism!
When asked to compare this author and novel to other works, I chose Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help; Kate Morton, author of The Forgotten Garden; and Katherine Howe, author The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. This is a novel that remains with you. It has depth. Its characters remain stay alive after the last page is read.
Please consider reading this novel. Enjoy!
