The Seekers’ Garden weaves together five stories of self-discovery within a larger tapestry human experience.Leaving behind the fragments of her once perfect life, Marcia Reed-Wilton crosses the world to return to her dilapidated childhood home in New Zealand to dig up the weeds of the past and start-anew. Next door, pensioner, Mrs. Everglade, struggles to maintain her independence in spite of her increasing frailty. Meanwhile, Career-oriented, Iris, quits her job on a whim to embark on an adventure of an entirely different kind; moving to a sleepy seaside town to write a book and Lea, a depressed teenager escapes into her poetry in order to cope. On the other side of the world in opposite seasons, Zane, vocalist for a popular progressive band is haunted by cryptic dreams that lead him home.
A few twists of fate and a buried secret leave these individuals deeply and unexpectedly connected.
*May Contain Spoilers*
The Seekers' Garden by Isa Ritchie took me by complete surprise. The synopsis doesn't do justice for all of the topics this novel covers and weaves together so creatively. The five main characters are so different from each other, each giving such a unique perspective on life that I almost felt like I was reading journal entries. With this writing style you cannot help but like the characters because you're on a personal level with them.
Ritchie creates a small circle of characters that seemingly have nothing to do with each other, and shares their intimate journeys to better lives. Each character has, I daresay, a problem with their life. Something that just isn't working. And each character is determined to reshape their lives. Watching the group of characters journey through this reinvention of life is inspirational and interesting.
I was captivated by the plot, watching the lives of five people completely change. It was also intriguing to attempt to figure out how they all fit together. What linked them, so to speak. And the link that they all share isn't an easy one to figure out. It took me until the end to make the connection.
The writing style varied throughout the novel. At some points, Ritchie gave the characters the pen and let them write what they were writing in the story. Iris is working on a book and she shares what she's putting in the book with the readers. Just like Lea writes poetry to escape her depression. Readers will read her poetry, giving them a deeper understanding of her life. I love how this allows readers to understand the characters.
The Seekers' Garden is a beautiful story about how five people can journey into a deeper sort of life, creating beauty and family and faith where there wasn't anything before.
Rating: 4/5
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