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A Novel
by Emily Buchanan
A heartfelt speculative debut about a "greenfluencer" who's convinced her late boyfriend has reincarnated as a houseplant.
Fiona, better known as eco-influencer @FoliageFifi, hasn't left her apartment since her boyfriend, Ed, died. It's easy to self-isolate when your heart's shattered and the planet you've spent your whole life trying to save is dying right outside your window. But when a houseplant randomly appears on her doorstep with an anonymous note, Fiona feels a flicker of hope—it's not just any plant; it's Ed's favorite. Thinking it's a sign, Fiona pours Ed's ashes into the soil, only to wake up to find the plant has vibrantly flowered. And can…talk? There's only one logical explanation: Ed is back. This time as a houseplant.
As Fiona knows all too well, plants have needs—sunlight, water and fresh air—all of which she can't adequately provide from her dark, stuffy apartment. Intent on keeping Ed alive, Fiona slowly ventures back out into the world, the plant's voice and budding flowers her guiding compass. But when Ed becomes more demanding in his botanical needs, urging her toward the people and places that left her scarred, Fiona realizes that preserving Ed's life could mean risking her own. How far will she go to keep him blooming?
Whip-smart and inspiring, Send Flowers is a poignant exploration of the human spirit, the importance of community in weathering life's storms, and love's enduring presence, even in the wake of profound loss.
"A warm, witty take on grief—both for lost loved ones and for our ailing planet—Send Flowers captures the beauty of found family, the power of community, and the challenge of finding, and embracing, our true purpose in life. Buchanan's spirited message will renew your appreciation for nature and leave your inner activist inspired." —Mikki Brammer, author of The Collected Regrets of Clove
"Witty, original, and aching with feeling, Send Flowers is the prescient story of a lapsed, grieving activist, who must fall back in love with her mission, her values, and with herself. Buchanan has made a powerful contribution to the new body of climate fiction, both illuminating the curse of caring too much and warning us of the dire consequences of caring too little. A novel for our times." —Seth Insua, author of Human, Animal
"Send Flowers is so much more than its brilliantly out-there concept: a climate activist's dead boyfriend comes back as a houseplant. Equal parts funny and furious, it's a book that blooms as you read it." —Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and The Egg
This information about Send Flowers was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Emily Buchanan is an author and environmental activist from Thanet. She studied English Literature at the University of East Anglia with a focus on Creative Writing and worked for Greenpeace as a Creative Campaigner. She now freelances as a graphic designer and illustrator for nonprofits. Emily wrote her first novel at twelve―a bedtime story for her little sister―and has been telling stories in one way or another ever since. She lives in Norwich, UK, with her pianist spouse and a brood of four-legged friends.
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