A stellar debut novel about secrets, family, grief, memories, home, flowers,  love, and forgiveness. 

Francine is a misanthrope who keeps to herself, her garden, and her ghostly companion, Bree. The introduction of a couple of lodgers and the return of her sister, Madeleine, throw all she knows about life and love for a loop as sinister beings and a dark past come to light. 

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Well, Bree had me hooked, is more like it. Her spirit was so delightful and I found myself wanting to know her story better, until I then found myself wanting to know this whole world better. This book was somehow as gothic and ghostly as it was whimsical and heartwarming as it was again devastating. The strength of the girls and women was palpable, and

the senseless tragedy that too often befalls families that experience abuse was heartbreaking, as were the impossible choices the mother had to make for her children

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Truly one of my favourite books for fully pulling me into the atmosphere, balancing the tone between darkness and light,  creative twists, and excellent characterization.