A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, Text

French botanist Rose, 40, is flying to Kyoto, Japan, for the reading of her late father, rich art dealer Haru’s will. She did not know him – her mother, Maud, left him before Rose was born. Grandmother Paule cared for Rose while her mother battled depression. Rose is an enigma; pretty and abrupt. People don’t talk about themselves in front of Rose. They think she has a secret life. In truth she prefers cats to men. This is a slim volume, but opens up into a story of emotional depth. In her father’s pavilion the people who knew him introduce us to a boy from the mountains who sought artisans and shaped their careers. Midst spirit-filled temples, gardens where “gods come to take tea”, Rose learns about the father who spoke of her every day and kept a shrine to her.