Book review: Through the Groves by Anne Hull (memoir)

Entirely by chance, I read a whole stack of engrossing memoirs in April: Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott, Mary Louise Kelly’s It. Goes. So. Fast., and Anne Hull’s Through the Groves (affiliate links).

I want to share them all with you, and I will. First up I’ll review Through the Groves.

Through the Groves focuses on author Anne Hull’s early life growing up surrounded by orange groves in central Florida. The book opens with Hull, then around six years old, riding along with her father as he inspects the citrus groves he tends for a juice company. Her mother has created this summer arrangement not for childcare or father-daughter bonding reasons, but to discourage Hull’s father from stopping at the bar on the way home.

In addition to this tension, we quickly learn Hull’s parents come from two different worlds. Her father’s family has maintained orange groves in central Florida for generations. Her mother originally hails from New York City. Both of them dreamed of becoming writers, and each wrestles with their own angst and intellectual frustration.

Eventually her father’s alcoholism becomes too much, and Hull’s mother takes the children to live with their grandmother in St. Petersburg. During this time Hull takes solace in a bond with her quirky grandmother. She grows increasingly distant from her mother, especially after her mom remarries, pinning her hopes to an unkind man she does not love.

Hull, a Pultizer-winning journalist, applies her keen eye for detail to both her inner and outer worlds throughout this book. Through the Groves paints a rich, evocative picture of what it means to grow up rooted in a place that may never accept you. I got a deep sense for Hull’s complex feelings for central Florida. In many ways it made her who she was, and yet the more certain she became about who she was — a tomboy, a lesbian — the less tenable it felt to make a home there.

I loved the richness of the landscape and connected deeply with Hull’s writing about it. I grew up in a very different rural landscape but it was no less intoxicating. Hull’s longing to be seen, to experience a fortifying connection with parents who were incapable of providing it, was also very compelling on the page.

I struggled a little bit with the end of Through the Groves. Personally, I did not need resolution or closure from every relationship, because in the end this felt like a story about Hull’s relationship with herself. Some of the wrap-up felt unnecessary for my tastes. The ending felt rushed and cluttered compared to the rest of the book. However, this is a minor quibble and other readers may disagree.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Hull has a knack for transporting the reader into a scene. Her story was heartbreaking at times but in the end hopeful. Even though this story took place decades in the past, its lessons still feel relevant today. Specifically, that we can come out the other side of our youth and find where we fit in the world. It gets better, and we eventually find home.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ed. note: I received an advance copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. This review is voluntary and opinions are my own. Versions of this review can also be found on Goodreads and Instagram.


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