James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck — in the muddy, stagnant swamps of 1830s Ohio. They and their children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as Johnny Appleseed so they can cultivate the apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life.
Fifteen years later, the youngest Goodenough, Robert, is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the New World to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert’s past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last.
Inspiration
A section of The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan is about apples in 19th-century Ohio. Reading it made me picture a scene of a husband and wife locked in a battle over apple trees. He wants to grow sweet apples for eating; she, sour apples for making cider and applejack to blunt the pain of pioneer life. Once I had that idea, I tried to imagine how this battle would affect the children of the family, and how that would be reflected in their relationship to the trees around them. I was interested that trees move around just as people do. American apple trees were from Khazakstan, via Europe, brought by immigrants. Trees from California were planted in the 19th century in Britain, particularly redwoods and giant sequoias. So I had one of the Goodenough children cross America and see these trees that are being sent across the ocean to where his ancestors and their apple trees came from. At the Edge of the Orchard is about migration, of people and trees mirroring the other’s movements.
Reviews
Chevalier's excellently researched latest brings to life a seminal chapter in American history, reaching from the frontier swampland of Ohio to the seedy towns of California in the Gold Rush. Though Johnny Appleseed makes appearances, there's no dewy-eyed nostalgia here. A compelling look at what was lost and gained in the westward expansion. —People Magazine
With impeccable research and flawless prose, Chevalier perfectly conjures the grandeur of the pristine Wild West…the bawdiness of the period, and the commanding needs of the everyday adventurers who were bold enough or foolish enough to be drawn to the unknown. —USA Today
Atmospherically, Chevalier is a gifted conjuror of the sweaty, unwashed bedding of 19th-century America…An entertaining gobble. —New York Times
A novel of raw beauty [about] people chasing illusions in the California goldfields as well as the Ohio swamps, and its rare depth and breadth is enhanced by subtle characterisation. A richly rewarding read. —Sunday Express
A densely packed tale of fruit, roots, family and hardship. An intense and disturbing portrait of life on the edge. Vividly visual. —Financial Times
Paints a picture of a time and place with nuanced and fascinating characters. It begins with hopelessness and disillusionment, but like a carefully nurtured seedling blossoms into a story of hope for the future. —Minneapolis Star Tribune
