Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo
Anna Keller is 112 at the beginning of the book, and she wants to be the oldest person in the world. She lives in Hill House in the Sacramento Valley with her daughter, Bets, who is 90, and her granddaughter, Callie, who runs the family store, The Pit. Callie's daughter, Deb, is in prison for killing her husband. It's Deb's daughter, Erin, and Callie who turn the Keller world upside down that year. Erin shows up with a plan to get her mother paroled. And, Callie reaches out to a scientist who is interested in investigating this family of firstborn women, checking their genes to discover the secrets to their longevity.
The olive trees in the Keller family were grafted from trees that Anna's father brought from Australia. And, those grafted trees were important to the growth and success of the community in Kidron. And, it was similar secrets and roots that led to the longevity of the Keller women. The Roots of the Olive Tree is not just a story of women who remain healthy late in life. It's a story of family secrets, and who can keep a secret, and what secrets are important.
Most of all, The Roots of the Olive Tree is a story that shows that all women, no matter how closely related, are individuals with individual dreams and lives. Santo allows each woman to have a section of the book to tell her story, to tell of her life and fears and passions. Some of the stories are richer than others, but they combine to form a strong family history as revealed in the final chapter, an eloquent fable told by the oldest child in the sixth generation.
The women in this book are all fascinating. My personal favorite is Anna, the matriarch who presides over the family and witnesses the changes that occur in that momentous year. But, every reader may find a woman to appreciate. The idea for Courtney Miller Santo's novel came from her own family, five living generations of females in the matriarchal line. I'll admit, it might have been a richer story if there had been more development of one woman or another. I wanted more personality from some of the women. Some characters were deeper, and more intricately created than others. But, it's not easy to bring five women to life in a book, and allow each of them to have a say.
Courtney Miller Santo's debut, The Roots of the Olive Tree, is an engrossing story that reveals how past lives influence future generations, not just genetically. Genes are just the device used to tie the story together. It's a strong, promising debut, a novel that offers hope for future living characters and future stories.
Courtney Miller Santo's website is www.courtneysanto.com
The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo. William Morrow. 2012. ISBN 9780062130518 (hardcover), 308p.
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.