Fresh Water for Flowers

Violette is the protagonist of the novel. The majority of the text is told in her first-person perspective, alternating between present and past tense. Having been left for dead as a newborn and having grown up in the foster care system, Violette feels a visceral fear of abandonment and accepts very little in exchange for her toxic relationship with Philippe. She accepts psychological abuse perpetrated by both him and his parents because she was never taught to expect anything else. Even when her first real friend, Célia, attempts to extricate her from her unfulfilling life, Violette is unable to break away from her ingrained habits and expectations. It is not until she meets Sasha that she begins to attend to her own needs and sees her potential in a different light.

As cemetery keeper, Violette becomes a friend, mother, and confidante to all those around her. Sometimes these relationships are ephemeral, such as those she shares in moments with mourners who pass through, and others become mainstays of her new life. In the years between knowing Sasha and Julien, however, she does not build any truly deep connections. For instance, most of the cemetery staff and community are unaware Léonine is buried there; the only person she has told is Nono, and even that relationship has limitations, as she avoids opening up to him about Philippe’s final visit.