Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets

Kyo Maclear discovers through a DNA test that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. She becomes a detective in her own life, seeking answers from her mother whose memories and English are failing. Maclear turns to her mother's second fluent tongue: the language of soil, seed, leaf, and mulch, to find common ground. Unearthing is a captivating story of inheritance that explores grief, loyalty, and the relationship between mothers and daughters.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 07 March 2024
Publisher: Pushkin Press

Three months after Kyo Maclear's father dies in December 2018, she receives the result of a DNA test revealing that she and the man who raised her are not biologically related. Suddenly, Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, desperately seeking answers from her ailing mother whose memories and English are failing. Maclear no longer speaks Japanese, her mother's first language, so she turns to her mother's second fluent tongue: the wild and green language of soil, seed, leaf, and mulch. Can the humble act of tending a garden provide common ground for an inquisitive daughter and her complicated mother? What role does storytelling play in unearthing the past and making sense of a life? What gets planted and what gets buried?

Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes far beyond heredity, full of unflinching insights into grief, loyalty, and the relationship between mothers and daughters.

Maclear's father dies in December 2018, leaving her with a newfound sense of uncertainty and curiosity about her identity. She decides to take a DNA test, which reveals that she and the man who raised her are not biologically related. This revelation shakes her world and sends her on a journey to uncover the truth about her past.

Maclear's mother, who is also suffering from memory loss and English difficulties, becomes her primary source of information. However, her mother's memories are fragmented and unreliable, and Maclear struggles to piece together the story of her birth and upbringing.

Determined to find answers, Maclear turns to her mother's second fluent tongue: the wild and green language of soil, seed, leaf, and mulch. She begins to garden, nurturing plants and learning about the intricate relationships between plants and the environment. Through her gardening, Maclear begins to connect with her mother on a deeper level, as they share a love for nature and the beauty of the natural world.

As Maclear continues to garden, she unearths fragments of her past that shed light on her biological parents and the reasons for her adoption. She discovers that her biological parents were a young couple who were unable to care for her, and that she was adopted by a loving family who provided her with a stable and nurturing home.

Through her gardening, Maclear also learns about the role of storytelling in unearthing the past and making sense of a life. She realizes that her mother's memories and stories are not just a record of the past, but a way of connecting with her and understanding her better. Maclear begins to write down her mother's stories and memories, hoping that one day she will be able to share them with her children and grandchildren.

Unearthing is a powerful and emotional story that explores the complexities of identity, grief, and the relationship between mothers and daughters. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of storytelling to heal and connect.

In conclusion, Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes far beyond heredity, full of unflinching insights into grief, loyalty, and the relationship between mothers and daughters. Through her gardening, Maclear unearths fragments of her past that shed light on her biological parents and the reasons for her adoption. She also learns about the role of storytelling in unearthing the past and making sense of a life. Unearthing is a powerful and emotional story that explores the complexities of identity, grief, and the relationship between mothers and daughters.

Weight: 512g
Dimension: 147 x 223 x 39 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911590958