A review by eviethevampire
White Oleander by Janet Fitch

5.0

This book explores the life of a 12 year old girl (Astrid) who spends six years in foster care after her mother (Ingrid) murdered her boyfriend and went to prison. Its a book about self discovery and how we as people go through the process of trying on different personalities and masks as we try to find who we are as people. In the end you find that you take a little bit from every personality and a little bit from every person that teaches you something in the world and we bare the scars from each point in our lives. It's also a book about relationships, particularly mother-daughter relationships, but overall how important they are. This book was written so beautifully. There is so much to understand and learn from both Astrid and her mother Ingrid. The way that they view the world as artist and poet is amazingly described through a very poetic writing style in itself. Which I find ironic since the book is written from Astrid's point of view who in her mother's mind is not a poet at all. I loved it and would recommend it to artists, poets, and book lovers alike!