by Cecily Parks
First published 2025
A mother of two young daughters finds herself caught between competing impulses as she tries to create a safe home while nature resists her efforts at control. She watches her children connect effortlessly with the natural world around them, forming bonds with creatures and plants that she struggles to understand. When weeds invade her garden, animals disturb her peace, and weather threatens her sense of order, she must decide how far to go in defending her domestic space. Her attempts to manage the mess and unpredictability of the living world force her to reckon with what it truly means to love nature when that love conflicts with her desire for beauty and safety. Drawing wisdom from sources as varied as childhood nursery rhymes and ancient epics, she discovers that caring for family, home, and earth requires accepting both joy and distress. Through tending her garden and watching her daughters grow, she learns that the natural world offers its own lessons about control, acceptance, and what we pass on to the next generation.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, memoir
Vibes: intimate, introspective, lyrical, meditative, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age-for-adults, internal-conflict, self-discovery
100 pages · Paperback · Alice James Books