Yellow Crocus

by Laila Ibrahim
April 21-May 8, 2015


I've had a bit of reading ADD lately. And it's so not like me. I have a bunch of books started and I've put them down to begin others. I never do that! I'm craving a book that sucks me in and won't let go. It's been too long. Short books seem to be finding me lately, and luckily this one was short and sweet.

“This is as true a story as has ever been told: the story of my love for Mattie, and, I suppose, her love for me in return.”

It's hard for me not to directly compare Yellow Crocus to The Invention of Wings, given that I read them so closely to each other. But if it were a contest, Crocus would win hands down. The emotion, truth and heartbreak was just better represented here. The relationship between Lisbeth and her wet nurse Mattie was so believable and well-written. The story didn't drag on either, like Wings did, so I was captivated until the end. It's amazing to read about the bond that can form between a free white person and a slave. Like it's been said before, love is love.

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