Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Megan

Madapple, by Christina Meldrum, tells us the story of Aslaug, whose name means consecrated to God. The author splits the story into two parts, alternating the chapters. Some chapters begin to explain Aslaugs life alone with her mother no electricity, foraging for food, learning several different languages. As Aslaug gets older, she sees her mother get more and more addicted to a plant called jimsonweed, known as green dragon, stinkwort, and madapple. When Aslaugs mother dies from cancer, police arrest Aslaug as a suspect. Once she is freed, however, she runs away to the family she did not know she had. There, she learns much about her life and secrets about her mother that brings Aslaug to believe in virgin birth. This is what she believes, too, when she finds out that she is pregnant. After Aslaugs baby is born, the child is suddenly taken away by her cousin and his friend. The loss of the child is so great, that Aslaugs aunt and cousin poison themselves, and their house burns down. We find ourselves at the trial in the other chapters, deciding if Aslaug is truly a murderer.
This book took me awhile to get in to. However, once I got more involved, the story was mildly interesting. The alternating chapters were a little difficult to get used to, but overall the book is worth reading.