49 pages 1 hour read

Valérie Perrin

Fresh Water for Flowers

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Symbols & Motifs

Violette’s Burial Registers

Although Violette takes over the role of cemetery keeper from Sasha, maintaining her set of burial registers is a practice unique to her alone. They represent her taking the opportunity to begin a new life and leave her mark on it, approaching it in her own way.

Violette was psychologically unable to attend the burial of her daughter, and at that time, there were no social media or recording devices to capture the event. Although she does not regret staying away from the service, she does wish that she had been able to have some record of it. This leads her to begin recording the seemingly pedestrian details of the funerals she witnesses in her cemetery: weather, decorations, religious or secular practices, as well as the stories that are shared. She believes this will create a memory cache for anyone unable to attend the burials of loved ones, just as she was unable to attend Léonine’s.

This practice is notable because no loved one ever reaches out to view the record of a previous burial. While it is not overtly stated, it is implied that these records, intended for the peace of mind of others, are only ever seen by Violette alone.