White Oleander

by: Janet Fitch

Published by: Back Bay Books

Reviewed by Anne-Gigi Chan

Ingrid Magnussen was a beautiful and extraordinary, but self-absorbed, poet. When she was imprisoned for murdering one of her lovers, her thirteen-year-old daughter, Astrid, was left to fend for herself and learn to survive in a series of Los Angeles foster homes.

In the next five years, Astrid struggled to find out who she really was while living in everything from a trailer park to a posh Hollywood neighborhood. Not only did she have to deal with the harsh realities of being a foster child, she also had to endure the stifling control Ingrid had over her, even from prison. This is a story of survival and self-discovery amid the worst environment, both in the physical and emotional sense.

Janet Fitch is a brilliant writer and White Oleander is an exceptional literary accomplishment. There are very few relationships in the world that are more complicated than the age-old mother-and-daughter relationship. Add to this an egotistic and free-spirited mother plus a once-naive young girl yearning for unconditional love, Fitch had created a wonderful, yet heart-wrenching, story that was hard to put down.

The background of this story was as far from my world and my own experience as one could imagine; as a result, I kept asking myself as I read, "Would I make the same decisions/mistakes given the circumstances?" While I was unable to answer that question, I could not help but feel for Astrid as her relationship with Ingrid developed from one of admiration and even worship, to a love-hate relationship and eventually to indifference.

As much as I enjoyed the book, it was also sad and upsetting to know that even though this was fiction, what was depicted in the book was probably not far from the truth for many children living under the foster care system. This definitely falls under the 'food for thought' category.

Only a great writer is able to use words and language to lure a reader outside of their domain or comfort zone and live the lives of the characters she has created. I believe that Janet Fitch has accomplished that and much more.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a definite must-read for all.