The Secret Life of Sunflowers
In this dual-timeline novel, author Dana Marton, writing as Marta Molnar, offers two interlinked stories. In the present day, auctioneer Emsley Wilson is distracted from her business problems by the death of her beloved grandmother. As she prepares the family brownstone in New York for sale, Emsley finds a diary and letters and learns about the life of Johanna van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law. We follow Johanna as she marries Theo van Gogh, who is determined to bring recognition to his struggling artist brother. But when Vincent dies and Theo is devastated, it is left to Johanna to persist and push until Vincent’s genius is finally recognized.
Although I felt some frustration that Emsley didn’t just sit down and read Johanna’s story as she dealt with her own challenges and issues, in general the dual timeline works well. Readers will enjoy the two women’s stories, bound by themes of empowerment, determination, and identity. The sadness of Johanna’s story is offset by the more upbeat contemporary storyline, and the contrast between the modern art world Emsley is involved in and the male-dominated, closed world of Johanna’s time adds to the interest. Fast-paced and informative, The Secret Life of Sunflowers provides an entertaining introduction to the Van Gogh family history.
