Review: The Red Garden, by Alice Hoffman

I will start off by saying that this novel was not what I expected it to be.  The book jacket does it no justice whatsoever; the picture makes it look like a story about an asian experience (like something Lisa See would write), and the description makes it sound like a typical generational novel that follows a family in a linear fashion over time.  It is neither of those things.

The Red Garden is both a generational epic and a collection of short stories; each story takes place in the same small town of Blackwell, MA, and focuses on a different descendant of one of the few founding families of the town, spanning several hundred years to end at present day.  However, again, because the book jacket doesn't explain terribly well (read: at all) that this is what is going to happen, and the stories don't lay out specifically at the outset how the characters portrayed are related to the founding family, I was fairly confused during the second story and had to go back later to re-read it once I realized what was going on. 

Once I was acclimated to the Hoffman's format, I was hooked.  The intitial tale, about a small band of colonial settlers swindled by a local man into leaving their safe town to 'go west', ending up barely on the other side of the Berkshires before winter snows and starvation fell upon them, was immediately gripping.  The staunch wife of said swindler, Hallie Brady, overcomes the weakness of her fellow travellers and saves them all by becoming the provider for the group, hunting and gathering on her own until the spring.  Her strange connection with a local bear family not only saves the town, but also becomes a thread throughout the remainder of the collection.  The novel's dark humor, expressed by Hallie's naming every part of the town 'Dead Husband (Field, River, Wood)', has its start in this section as well, as does the explanation for the novel's title, although you don't realize it until later on.

This ability to keep the reader thinking throughout the book by leaving clues in the story of one generation that are never fully explained, but which require small leaps that result in several 'Ohhhh!' moments during the tales of future characters, is one of the Hoffman's talents that made me keep returning.  After realizing that the indominable Hallie would be making no further appearances, I almost put the book after the second story, not wishing to become attached to characters who I would never learn the fate of, but perseverance led me to realize that I would indeed learn the fate of the each of the previous characters via smal kernels of information provided in subsequent tales, as well as the repercussions of past events on the future generations.  This is like voyeurism at its best, really, knowing reasons and details about parts of others' lives that they themselves may not even fully understand.  The stories definitely have a slightly magical feel to them, as if spirits from the past are following along for the ride, and events such as why the soil in the garden is red, and the details about little girl on the riverbank, are like a candy trail through the forest.

This would be a great selection for a book club, because of the various motifs and relationships involved throughout the book.  Discussion questions could include:
1. What is the significance of bears in the story?  What is their ultimate meaning to the families of Blackwell?
2. The story of Susan  and the eels includes the most magical thinking in the collection, depending upon what you decide is the truth.  What do you think really happened with Susan?  What is the importance of the eels to Blackwell, and why is this story, which is so different from the others, included in the collection?
3. In these stories, things are not always what they seem.  Who do you think was really in the river with Carla's brother Johnny: Tessa or her mother?  Why?  What do you think of Carla's reaction?
4. Hoffman includes a few famous names in the tale.  Who are they, and what do you think of the parts they play?  Do you think they added to the story?
5.  Which ancestor is your favorite, and why did his / her story speak to you above the others? 

Overall, I would highly recommend this novel for its elegant blending of reality and magic, and Hoffman's talent at portraying characters from various periods in a manner that is faithful to the social norms of their time.  I found almost all the characters to be intriguing, and the writing overall inviting.  I am actually planning on going back through the story to plot out who was related to who, and that would be one of the only recommendations I would have to the author; somewhere in an afterward, to include a family / story tree with names and chapter titles in parentheses that readers can refer to in times of confusion.

Rating: four out of five stars.  Elegant storytelling that hides surprises and treats for readers throughout the novel's generations.