Winter Garden

One of the novel’s symbols is Anya’s winter garden. It lies underneath a 50-year-old magnolia tree behind Anya’s house and is small and rectangular. A wrought-iron fence, including an ornate gate, borders the garden. The garden contains a birdbath, sculpted bushes, and a black bench in the center where Anya often sits. It stands apart from the rest of the Whitsons’ orchard because it is contained and orderly compared to the orchard’s sprawling chaos. A single copper column in the winter garden supports a white marble bowl. Nina discovers the Russian letters on this column representing Leo’s, Anya’s, and Sasha’s initials. After Evan’s death, a second copper column appears, engraved with an E. The initials on each column represent those who have died in each of Anya’s families. The first column references her family in Russia, and the second column appears for Evan, the head of her family in America.

At the novel’s beginning, the winter garden symbolizes a place of grief and loss. Meredith and Nina often find their mother sitting alone in the garden, especially after Evan’s death. Sometimes, she knits in the garden, and sometimes, she looks like she’s praying. Due to Anya’s upbringing in Russia, she often sits in the garden with minimal clothing, even during winter.