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Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire by Margot Berwin By Melissa J Wantuck  |
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Writer Margot Berwin’s first novel, Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire (Pantheon, 2009), published June 16, begins as a typical quest for new beginnings but ends as a floral erotica: human sexuality defined by the reproductive behaviors of exotic plants. This is not your typical romantic fantasy novel as it makes a big jump from a sterile New York City studio apartment to the wild jungle full dangers all while giving a course on botany.
Thirty-two year old Lila Nova lives in New York City and works in advertising. An outsider would perceive her career has taken a bit of a glamorous turn but she doesn’t feel the effects of her achievements. After four years of marriage, her husband left her for another woman and in the wake of divorce she is hollow and searching to renew her life. She begins buy finding a new apartment. The stark and clean one she settles on represents the cold, unfeeling side of Lila she must discard if she’s going to survive her journey.
Lila’s chilly protective barrier begins to melt when a handsome blond man sells her a tropical plant at the Union Square Green Market. Before this plant she had never owned any but soon finds the little bit of greenery awakening a side of her she never knew existed. Shortly after this, she is confronted by another plant, a fiery red fern that will lead her down a road filled with lust, danger, orchids and eventually the wild jungle of the Yucatan peninsula where she must find the nine plants of desire.
Behind the Fire Fern is another man who enters Lila’s new plant world. Armand owns a successful Laundromat where he’s utilized the moisture from the washing machines and the heat from the dryers to create a tropical greenhouse for plants. The red leaves of his Fire Fern drew Lila to his storefront and he perceived what Lila didn’t know, the capabilities she possessed that he wanted to expose.
As Lila becomes immersed in the world of tropical plants, she is introduced to the legend of the nine plants of desire. The legend comes from Central America and states the bearer of the nine plants will achieve what they desire in life. A dramatic turn of events tosses Lila into the middle of her own quest for the nine plants.
Berwin employs a fascinating metaphorical device to aid her story. She connects human sexuality with plant sexuality in a spiritual way. The magical plants that surround Lila speak to her and through Armand she learns to decipher their meaning. They become her teacher and guide her to an exotic destiny that this city girl never expected for her life.
Plant lovers will appreciate the plethora of plant botany Berwin weaves into her narrative and non-plant enthusiasts may be lured by the romantic side of plants. Berwin is somewhat successful with her merging of science and human emotions until her story steps into the realm of impossibility, requiring the reader to stretch their own beliefs.
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