We find ourselves in the month of May already. Our spring weather has been turbulent with tornadoes in February and April. That's early in the season even for Oklahoma. Here's hoping we got them out of the way early! Carla Gibbs is our hostess this month. She served chicken salad sandwiches, a veggie and cheese tray, iced tea, and a delicious lemon-blueberry dessert. Arnora brought the flowers and nuts and Pam brought watermelon. Lis brought spinach dip, crackers, wine, and Janie. We are all so glad to see Janie after a brief absence while she has been taking care of Jim. Diana brought picked asparagus and Hard Seltzer. Pam brought watermelon. Carla also served up some yummy after-dinner coffee drinks! We missed Barb and our out-of-towners; Tammy, Darby, and Lou.
Brief Author Bio
This month's book is Thistlefoot by Genna Rose Nethercoft. it is described as being in the vein of modern fairy tales by Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and Naomi Novik's "Spinning Silver." This was a debut novel in 2022 and she has also published several works of poetry. She is the founder of Traveling Poetry Emporium which is a team of poets for hire. She is an Associate Producer of Grim and Mild where she conducts supernatural and historical research for the podcast Lore. She lives in the woodlands of Vermont next to an old cemetery.
Discussion
Siblings Bellatine and Isaac Yaga receive the strange inheritance of a house that speaks and grows
chicken legs. It is a sentient structure that can walk about. Bellatine is a winemaker and Isaac is a wayfaring street performer and con artist. The two have been estranged since childhood. The house is named Thistlefoot. We learn that Thistle is not native to America. Immigrants to this country brought unknowingly brought it with them. Thistle is known for its roughness. It has a prickly flower and thorny leaves that keep it from being eaten by wildlife. But, it provides a substantial amount of food for birds, insects, and butterflies. In America, it is considered an invasive weed. However, some varieties have medicinal qualities. In Victorian times, the Thistle was known as a flower of intrusion and a warning against intrusion.
chicken legs. It is a sentient structure that can walk about. Bellatine is a winemaker and Isaac is a wayfaring street performer and con artist. The two have been estranged since childhood. The house is named Thistlefoot. We learn that Thistle is not native to America. Immigrants to this country brought unknowingly brought it with them. Thistle is known for its roughness. It has a prickly flower and thorny leaves that keep it from being eaten by wildlife. But, it provides a substantial amount of food for birds, insects, and butterflies. In America, it is considered an invasive weed. However, some varieties have medicinal qualities. In Victorian times, the Thistle was known as a flower of intrusion and a warning against intrusion.
The book is rooted in Jewish myth and rich in Eastern European folklore and is about healing from generational trauma. The author intended this book to be about the Jewish diaspora that is part of her family history. Her mother's side of the family lived in a place that is now Ukraine and they were displaced by war. She changed the name of the town and used historical events woven into the folklore. However, the story will resonate with any culture that has been the victim of an attack and dispersed from their homeland.
There were too many layers and too much symbolism to relate it all here. However, I do think it worth mentioning that Diana said she had trouble getting into the book until she decided she just had to suspend her literal thinking and let the story wash over her. She pointed out that as long as people's stories are retold they are not forgotten. I would add that you can't heal what you don't know. And, it's now been scientifically proven that trauma can be passed down in our DNA. But, whether trauma is from our ancestors or something we experience in the present, we have the power to heal it. And, part of the healing is in the stories we tell.
Of those present, all but one had finished the book and it rated 3.75.
On June 4, we will meet at Barb's to discuss Klara and the Sun. And, on July 9, we will meet at Arnora's to discuss Horse. 
