Blooming Beyond Foster Care: A review of the novel The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

At 18 and aging out of a group home, Victoria Jones is like many youth who have experienced the foster care system and failed adoptions. The jumble of care and trauma that has marked her path has left Victoria remote, on edge, and uncertain of how to trust herself or others. For years, she has believed that her challenges mean she is not worth a vibrant life. As the novel progresses, a lack of permanency, resources, and self-esteem lead Victoria to homelessness and isolation. But over time, a gifted understanding of flowers, and relationships with people who are determined to honor who she truly is, eventually lead Victoria to create a full and healthy life for herself. As she learns to build on the good in and around her, she also comes to see life after trauma as a process of learning, remembering, grieving, and healing.

In language that is both precise and lyrical, author Vanessa Diffenbaugh has created a novel that does not flinch from the devastation trauma creates. Part of the magic of this novel is that it also shows how people who have experienced trauma can find their own unique paths to healing—and come to know that they are deserving of healing and flourishing. Joshilyn Jackson writes, “This hope-soaked, glorious book speaks to every once-broken, cracked, or poorly mended heart about the risks we take to heal, to be fully human, to truly connect.” In addition to what readers can learn about resilience and the power of healthy relationships from this book, the glimpse into the meanings of flowers that the novel offers is fascinating.

Have you read this novel? What are your thoughts about it?