Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Ten of the best grandmothers in fiction

At the Guardian, Jenny Downham tagged her ten top grandmothers in fiction, including:
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie lives with her Gram and her Uncle Big and all three are grieving the sudden death of Lennie’s fiery older sister. Catapulted into an uncomfortable centre stage, Lennie allows two boys to simultaneously vie for her affection whilst abandoning her best friend and behaving badly towards her family. This is a dream-like sensual book, full of poetry and vivid description. The relationship between grandmother and granddaughter is central. Gram is a gardener (she grows flowers for their aphrodisiac qualities), a painter, a keeper of secrets, a wise and intelligent woman who loves deeply and well. It is because of her that Lennie survives tragedy with her integrity and heart intact.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue