Author: Tea Obrecht
Publisher: Random House
Source: Library
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "The time: the present. The place: a Balkan country ravaged by years of conflict. Natalia, a young doctor, is on a mission of mercy to an orphanage when she receives word of her beloved grandfather’s death far from their home under circumstances shrouded in confusion. Remembering childhood stories her grandfather once told her, Natalia becomes convinced that he spent his last days searching for "the deathless man," a vagabond who claimed to be immortal. As Natalia struggles to understand why her grandfather, a deeply rational man, would go on such a farfetched journey, she stumbles across a clue that leads her to the extraordinary story of the tiger’s wife."
My Two Cents:
I really enjoyed this book. It has tons of magical realism, a literary element that I love. This book is one that I definitely have to ruminate on a little bit and now that I've been finished with this book for a few days, it feels a little more powerful even. There are so many pieces to this story that I feel like you need a bit of time after finishing reading to think about all the different moving parts. I'm wondering if I am getting what the author wanted me to get out of the book...
This book is definitely not a light read with all of the focus on the wars in the Balkan region and it's definitely heavy on symbolism but if you are up for a challenge, the prose itself is not worth missing. This book also made me realize that I really need to read into the history of the Balkan wars.
Bottom line, this book by a young debut author is definitely one you should pick up.
My Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
I've seen lots of good reviews of this book... I might have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI quite fancy trying this one. Great review.
ReplyDeleteLovely review. This one is sitting on my TBR pile right now. Can't wait to read it! I'm glad to know it's a little deeper than I thought. Always good to challenge my brain...especially during the summer, what with all the "beach reads." :)
ReplyDelete@Bailey (The Window Seat Reader) You should! It's definitely an interesting story!
ReplyDelete@Karen Do it!
ReplyDelete@Jenna (Literature and a Lens) I definitely feel like I would have gotten even more from the book if I had a better background about the Balkans.
ReplyDelete