This is not a gardening book. At least not in the traditional sense. The seed referred to here is of the baby making variety.
The ability or inability of the many characters to conceive is the fertile ground which Easther explores (so sorry). Life as we know it with work commitments, family responsibilities, marriage dynamics, and friendship ups and downs backdrop the middle years of these women’s lives and the impacts of that ever present ‘seed’ – fertilised, missing in action or terminated.
There are many books that explore these and related topics, but what sets ‘Seed’ apart is that these characters, their situations and dilemmas and even the solutions and resolutions seem to be plucked straight from real life. Auckland life if I am being honest.
It could be anywhere really, but it reads like Auckland, international and yet identifiably Kiwi – there are lots of colloquialisms – ‘skedaddle’ makes an appearance as does ‘feeling dusty’ after a night out. The story belts along helped by short choppy chapters. It is funny, irreverent and very ‘now’ – everyone’s eyes are glued to their phones, food arrives via Uber Eats and kids conceal their real internet activity from their parents.
The essence of the novel is that there’s no ‘normal’ way to have or be a family. There’s no right or wrong, there is just life, what it throws at us, and how we respond. So for a snazzy, fast paced, modern summer read, Seed is the ticket!
