The Grandiflora Tree

Description

A haunting first novel about a woman struggling to cope with her husband's death.

When Bernadette Crichton finds her husband dead, under the beautiful grandiflora tree, she assumes a widowhood that is unconventional and strange. Exiled inside her large house, Bernadette refuses to 'see or be seen' by platitude-bearing visitors. Letters of condolence are divided into three piles: to be answered, not be answered, not understood. But it is the discovery of Charlie's diary that forces her to address the unpleasant truth: Charlie and their marriage were not what they seemed.

Author description

Shonagh Koea has published numerous short story collections and novels. She worked initially as a journalist, and then moved to write fiction, going on to win many significant awards and prizes for her work. Koea’s subject matter ranges in focus, though women’s and men’s roles and relationships play a key role in her narratives.

The Kindness of Strangers (Kitchen Memoirs), published in 2007, is a collection of Koeas memories from her various roles as daughter, wife, mother, journalist and novelist.