This helped me understand life with kidney dialysis. The book seemed to take a safe approach to teenage angst and relationships with elders. ( )

3.5 stars really. ( )

Enjoyed it! ( )

Thirty-six year old high school biology teacher, Gal (Galilee) Garner works hard to breed a prize-winning rose in her spare time. She also manages to fit in overnight dialysis every other night due to chronic kidney disease. Already a two time recipient of donor kidneys, Gal is once again on the waiting list for another. Into this tightly scheduled life crashes Riley, Gal’s fifteen year old niece, whom she hasn’t seen in years. Her mom, Gal’s estranged sister, has accepted a contract job in China; she would like Riley to live with her aunt in the meantime. Minor detail that she didn’t tell Gal about it.

Gal is not the nurturing type. She is intelligent of course, independent; but she can also be bossy and self-centred. She has as many opinions as a rose has thorns; and they are generally about as benign. Can Gal adapt to Riley’s presence in her life? Can she be responsible for anyone other than herself? Will the crotchety, sick relative transform into an affectionate, healthy Auntie? Will she become a better teacher and friend? THE CARE AND HANDLING OF ROSES WITH THORNS is too realistic (mostly) to handle Gal’s story in a sappy Hallmark way.

Interesting for the insights about a person living with kidney disease mirrored with the biology of rose breeding. Recommended to readers of novels focusing on family relationships. ( )

Margaret Dilloway made a rod for her own back in creating a character as difficult as Gal. Yet, a couple chapters in I began to appreciate her and, eventually, pull for her. Nothing short of a miracle because this woman is a porcupine.

And that's the beauty of this book. Every character and every situation felt immediate and real. I never doubted anything I read, and I'm a skeptical reader. From the art of rose breeding to the trials of dialysis to the care and feeding of a truculent teenager--all of it delivered in a confident, direct voice that carried the story beautifully.

Dilloway's an accomplished storyteller with insight and compassion. I'm putting her other books on my list.

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