Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite

Sometimes, looking back, the moments that hurt the most are also the ones we never want to lose. In Fig Trees: A Childhood Lived in the Shadow of Murder by Marnie Ross, the author looks back on growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, with her mother, stepfather, and two sisters, Stacey and Ayrlie. Ross is almost eleven when her world changes forever after her mom is murdered. In the years that follow, she and her siblings are left to navigate grief, fear, and a home that no longer feels safe. Through memories of birthdays, school, holidays, church, neighborhood adventures, and ordinary family moments, she recalls what it was like to grow up while carrying such a tremendous loss. She also draws on letters her mother wrote to loved ones in Australia, which give her a chance to understand the woman she adored from an adult perspective. Her relationship with her sisters remains an important part of these recollections, while the fig trees outside their Phoenix home become closely connected to the most important person in her life and the formative years she wishes were different.

The cover of Fig Trees by Marnie Ross immediately caught my eye, but it was the intriguing title that really made me want to read it. I needed to know the story behind those fig trees. What I found was a deeply personal memoir and a touching tribute to a mother who was clearly adored. Ross has a way of describing moments from her childhood so vividly that I could picture the rooms, people, and events she remembered. The writing is honest, and the pace worked very well because the shorter memories kept the narrative moving even when the subject matter became difficult. I especially admired the love she has for her sisters and the bond they share. I have to admit, there were plenty of times when “Daddy” made me angry, particularly when I saw how his behavior affected the girls and their mother. Yet it was the small details about their mom that stayed with me most. They made her feel like a real person rather than simply someone at the center of a tragedy. Readers who appreciate emotional memoirs about family, grief, sisterhood, and resilience will find a lot to take away from this one. It reminds us that even when someone is gone, the memories we carry can keep an important part of them with us.