In his sophomore title, Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer (How to Catch a Mole) chronicles a year in his life as a country gardener, with poignant insights into nature, humanity and himself.
Hamer has been the caretaker of a 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for more than 20 years, and outside of his elderly employer, Miss Cashmere, and his devoted wife, Peggy, his most frequent companions are the flora and fauna around him: "[My universe] smells of green and oil, old books, cold air, warm body." In month-long, journal-like chapters, Hamer shares his daily life of physical labor and mental reflection through lush, meditative observations of the natural world while also ruminating on his own shadowed past (an abusive childhood, homelessness) that has nevertheless led him to his current place of contentment. Whether considering the never-ending natural cycle of growth and decay or contemplating humankind's concept of land ownership--"Nothing is ever yours. People who work with the earth and the people who think they own bits of it see the world in totally different ways"--Hamer's writing is open and beautifully immersive, exploring a range of themes with grace and dexterity that never extends into platitudes.
Seed to Dust is a magical amalgamation of memoir, natural history, philosophy and gardening, a breathtaking narrative that transcends genre and geography. Fans of Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk and Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek will find Hamer to be a kindred spirit. Candid, tender, thoughtful and absorbing, Seed to Dust is that rare book that will appeal to nonfiction readers everywhere. --Jennifer Oleinik, freelance writer and editor