Wisteria

Dennis Denisoff teaches English at McGill University and is the author
of Dog Years.

This book’s appealing exterior hides a far-from-attractive piece of
writing. From the constant references to various characters’ “inner
strength” to the quaint grammatical slips of Christopher and Trisha,
this work simply oozes mediocrity. The style is monotonously familiar,
the imagery confused (“As she cleared his dish from the kitchen table,
the tears spilt, brittle and mellow as his first broken glass”).

Stoett does have good control of the narrative voice, and is capable of
producing the occasional poignant image. However, this book lacks both
subtlety and individuality. It is a shame that such an excellent book
design was wasted on this mediocre text.