The Houseplant: A Short Story by Jeremy Ray
The Houseplant is described by its author as a heartwarming short story about grief, loss, and a fern named George. This is all fitting, but I would add one more description…A Love Story. Yes, this is a beautifully written short story about life from the point of view of George and I highly recommend you take this journey with him. Even though short, it is a complete story. It has conflict, character growth, a gambit of emotions, dark moments, heart-stopping to heart-filling moments all experienced in his story.
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The love that blooms between George and his human, Brenda, comes from her learning to understand what he needs and him coming to trust her intentions. They are there for each other and there is a connection made. There is humor, especially when human behavior is interpreted from the POV of a fern. And there is the tugging of tears as loss brings change. Not everyone accepts loss and change the same way. What George comes to learn is that Brenda’s love connects him with everyone else she loves and through those connections love can become even more. All characters grow in understanding and trust, in acceptance of each other and what life brings, especially when there is love to connect them. You come away wondering how your plants see you, making you want to make sure you’re doing all you can for them. And Yes, this is a love story and you root for George to find his happily ever after.
