Family Tree by Susan Wiggs

Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: August 9th 2016 by William Morrow

For readers of Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes.

Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Manhattan home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child.

But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a year-long coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she's lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned ex-cop. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember. 

My Thoughts…

I am a fan of Susan Wiggs.     Her books are great chic-lit and romance stories that I always devour.     Family Tree seemed a little different to me.   I think I would label it more women’s fiction.   There was romance, there was love, but this was more of the story of Annie Rush Harlow.     The story of a woman excited about the life she was living and where it was heading until something horrific happen and it was all taken from her.    The kicker?   She didn’t even realize what was happening.   

When Anna wakes up from her coma she must make tough decisions, learn to live again, and remake her entire life.   Her struggles were real.     Susan Wiggs portrayed Anna as such a strong person.   Even when she was physically weak she was mentally strong.   She never gave up, she never let go of hope, and she pushed to get all her dreams fulfilled.      The saving grace for Anna is how her family and friends in her hometown of Switchback, Vermont all work together to bring her back to a place better than she last remembers.    I enjoyed seeing her reconnect with high school friends, get reacquainted with her dad, and seeing her mom in a new light.  

They style of the story flows perfectly.    With the past and present both being told there are no missed steps.     The characters move easily in the right timeframe between the two parts and the storyline never falters between the timeframes.   I definitely recommend picking up your own copy.  

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