Review: Bone Meal for Roses by Miranda Sherry

Poppy is about to undergo a transformation. Rescued from an unfit mother with a fondness for hard drugs, she is whisked away to a farm in the bowels of the Western Cape, where greenery and hope abound. Wrapped in love and warmth by her grandparents, she emerges as Sam, a beautiful girl filled with potential and a fierce intensity. Despite the shadow of her mother’s return looming over her, Sam is coaxed back into happiness, slowly adjusting to her new life with her grandparents. Like them, develops a love of the land and all it presents, and particularly the oasis that is the garden.

Sam’s new life is not without event; her grandparents must succumb to the inevitabilities of old age and creaking bones, and her carefully sheltered heart makes a discovery that literally broadens her horizons. Across the hills lies the neighbour’s farm, shrouded in taboo due to decades-old disagreements, and Sam has sworn to never set foot there for fear of what may happen to trespassers. Yet adventure beckons, and Sam’s interest is piqued by horses and a woodworker.

Bone Meal for Roses is much more than a love story or a tale of redemption. While it encompasses both these aspects, it is also a map for the soul; from being lost to truly finding oneself. Sherry has presented a uniquely South African work with its roots in love and forbidden fruit, and it is up to the reader to see how the story will bloom. With immense character depth and a hint of the macabre, Bone Meal for Roses is certainly a thrilling read that can find itself a place in the hearts of any lover of literature.

Bone Meal for Roses by Miranda Sherry is published by Head of Zeus and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.