LN241 Café Littéraire: “Fresh Water for Flowers” (“Changer l’eau des fleurs”), Valerie Perrin

Fresh Water for Flowers, by Valérie Perrin, is a tender, quietly powerful novel about grief, resilience, and the hidden lives of ordinary people. The story centers on Violette Toussaint, a cemetery caretaker in a small French town, whose calm exterior hides a past marked by deep sorrow and unexpected joy. As mourners come and go, Violette tends not just to graves but to the emotional weight others carry—and, in doing so, slowly reveals her own story: a complicated marriage, an unimaginable loss, and the unlikely friendships that help her endure. When a police officer arrives with questions about his mother’s final wishes, it sets in motion a series of revelations that reshape Violette’s understanding of her own life. Poetic, humane, and laced with humor, Fresh Water for Flowers explores how love and loss intertwine, and how healing often comes from the most surprising places.

Two spaces are reserved for new WICE members. If no new WICE members have registered before 17 November, those two spaces will become available to the general WICE membership.

The book group meets at the organizer's apartment. The directions, door code, telephone number, etc., are sent in the 7-day and 1-day reminder emails, following registration.

Registration for the November meeting opens on Saturday, 25 October 2025.