Always on the lookout for an intriguing new voice in Women’s Fiction, I recently read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, the She Reads pick of the month for January 2012.

The Language of Flowers introduces Victoria Jones, one of the prickliest protagonists in contemporary women’s fiction. At eighteen, recently emancipated from the foster care system, Victoria has grown up looking out for number one. On the surface, she seems incapable of caring for anyone but herself, yet her love for flowers hints at a tender side. Fortunately for her, two people–a man-boy named Grant and an immigrant florist named Renata–are able to love Victoria despite herself. And in allowing herself to be loved, Victoria proves that she, like the flowers she carefully tends, is capable of blooming, given the proper nurturing. But can Victoria trust herself enough to love them back? She harbors a secret that convinces her she cannot–until a painful lesson in unconditional love proves to her otherwise.

I can only admire a writer who creates a character like Victoria Jones, at once unappealing and sympathetic. Diffenbaugh’s technique of using external forces to show us Victoria’s winsome side is well worth examining. So is her beautifully emerging message: that no one, no matter how unlovely, is truly beyond love. In short,The Language of Flowers is a remarkable debut by a powerful new voice. It delivers a bouquet of hope, redemption and forgiveness, all wrapped up in one lovely literary read.