Review – The Houseplant by Jeremy Ray

Posted October 13, 2021 by Carole in Reviews / 7 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – The Houseplant by Jeremy RayThe Houseplant by Jeremy Ray
Published by Infinite Ray Publishing on December 14, 2020
Genres: Short Stories (single author)
Pages: 31
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon
four-stars

George, a fern, doesn’t appreciate being bought by Brenda at Garden Palace.

And he certainly doesn’t appreciate being trapped in her house of humans. He yearns to be with the plants outside in the garden. With time, George learns to trust Brenda and think of her as his human. Then one day, tragedy strikes and George’s life will never be the same. What happens when a houseplant loses the thing he never knew he wanted?

You'll never look at houseplants the same way again.

I thought that this was a wonderful short story told from a plant’s point of view. Before I get started with this review, I would like to offer an apology to the numerous plants that I have neglected and killed during my forty-plus years. I was clueless when it came to plants and too busy to be bothered to try to learn how to care for those that had been left in my care. I remember one occurrence when my husband remarked sadly that the potted mum he had given me had died. I had believed that this plant was cut flowers and didn’t realize that I needed to water it. I now hate to think of what that plant went through due to my ignorance. I am learning and have successfully maintained a few plants in my house during the past year and I hope that they feel safe and protected in my care.

You see, after reading this story, I am convinced that plants must have feelings. Of course, they do. This story tells George’s story. George is a plant that eventually goes to live with Brenda and her family. George isn’t sure that he is going to do well in Brenda’s care but eventually it becomes obvious that he has grown to care for Brenda and her family. When something horrible happens, George isn’t sure how he will ever survive it until help arrives from a place he didn’t expect.

I loved this little story. It is a really quick read but I thought that it told a rather big story. I love how clever and original it was and I loved George’s personality. I could completely imagine a plant thinking and feeling all of the things that George does. I loved that this story made me think and wonder if it were really possible. If you are looking for a unique and entertaining read, I would recommend giving this story a try.

I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

7 responses to “Review – The Houseplant by Jeremy Ray

  1. Well, this has to be a first- a story from a plant’s POV. I do pretty well keeping my plants alive though I do apologize to them now and then when one of the cats attempts to ‘play’ with them. 😉 I’m curious to read this one.

  2. Your first comments had me laughing because as soon as I saw the premise I thought any plant I had been in charge of would have a very very short story. My husband is the one in charge of house plants because I don’t even realize they’re still there until it’s way too late. This does sound fun though!