Tell It to the Trees: But Only to Them

Dear readers,

I’ve really been keeping up with the reading duty, and the book I am writing about today is one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s not my most recent one, but I do want to tell you about it while it’s still fresh in my mind.

Tell it to the Trees, by Anita Rau Badami is something different from what I have read before. I preferred not to read the back of the book, so really I had no idea what would it even be about. Like my previous read, the story takes place in Canada, in the household of an Indian family, but is has nothing to do with Everything was Goodbye, by Singh Karan.

The Dharma family is one with lots of stories and secrets, in which every member does everything for the family and anything to keep appearances and a clean name. Vikram’s first wife dies, and left with a daughter, he goes to India looking for a new one. He finds Suman, who will never be close to what his dead wife was. Their marriage quickly turns into nothing on a personal level, and if there were ever any feelings, they completely vanish, leaving room for violence, obedience and fear. Vikram’s children, Varsha and Hemant are the centre of attention in this book, and then there’s also Vikram’s mother - being old and sick, she spends her days telling stories and giving advice.

Having lost her mother at a fragile age, you can tell that Varsha is not like other kids.

She has become obsessed with keeping her family together, and never letting Suman leave. She loves her family, she loves her little brother Hemant, but she is definitely different. Possessive and jealous, Varsha even has some sort of meanness in her. But when Anu Krishnan, a tenant in the Dharmas’ cabin, shows up in the picture, that’s when Varsha feels threatened. Anu brings a sense of peace and companionship in the family, but certainly not to the girl.

This book was written with such a clarity and easiness, that I pretty much just fell in love with it. But it’s got something that not everyone might like: every chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, and they each tell their own story. You may think it’s confusing and hard to keep up with the details, but it’s really not. Also, the moment you think you know something, Badami proves you don’t. She is so good at surprising you, and so good at illustrating the character. She makes them feel so real...

And Varsha...oh Varsha! You just never stop asking 'What is wrong with this girl?!'

(click on photo to enlarge)

   Anita Rau Badamiwww.anitaraubadami.ca/

I hope you get to read this book. Despite its dark theme, it’s such a refreshing read, and that just because the way it’s written. I recommend it 100% and I really wish I could discuss this book with you, guys. So let me know if you've read it, or if you will. I’d love to hear other opinions and perspectives on this book.

Everything was Goodbye – When all you’re left with are the memories

Hello dear readers - friends or strangers,

After I did my first review, on Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay it took me a few days until I picked up another book, even though at the moment I have lots of them lined up for me. I almost didn't start reading again. I felt lazy, but mostly, I think I didn't want to deal with the risk of starting a book I wouldn't feel drawn to. Fortunately, I have made this blog and all I kept thinking of was how I have to keep it going.

I started reading this book before but for some reason I put it down. So, this time I just picked it up and here I am, ready to tell you about it!

Everything Was Goodbye, by Gurjinder Basran is a book that takes place in Canada, 1990, in the house of an Indian girl. She has five sisters, her father died when she was very young and her mother tries her hardest to raise her girls under the Indian tradition. But Meena, the main character, is not a typical Indian girl. She is a rebel – but not to the fullest, she is a punk music listener, and she does not feel Indian - Meena is Canadian. Occidental.

Her best friend is Liam, a boy from school and neighbour. They have a special relationship, based on not knowing and not asking questions. Meena is a girl who constantly fights with who she is and who she should be. Years pass by, people come and go in her life, and she reaches a point where the only choice is to surrender to the life an Indian woman must follow.

I was very frustrated with her character, because whenever you thought she would put her foot in the door, she would only go half way. That’s why I said she wasn't a rebel to the fullest - because her mind was thinking all the right things, but she was lacking courage. I feel sorry for her, because I really believed she would step up for herself, and live the way she felt she should.

This book definitely has a topic that I enjoyed. I like reading about other cultures, especially Arabic and Indian. It is a sad story, as the title says it too, but it’s worth reading. It teaches you to choose at the right time, and yes, life gives you second changes, but they might be short. I recommend this book to all the readers who are interested in knowing how life is outside ours. The way it is in other homes, in other cultures…

Have you read this book before? If yes, I'd like to know what you think about it, and if you haven't, does it sound like something you might chose off the bookshelf?

Sarah's Key - a book about desperation and hope

Hello dear friends, and strangers,

 My name is Brigitte and I have created this blog because I love to read (even though I don’t do it much) and I thought that by having this little space of mine, I’d feel motivated to read more often, share with you the stories still full of dust that sit on my bookshelves , and hear about yours as well. I will start by telling you about the book I have read last, and which I am proud to say (for a non-active reader) I have finished in less than a week. Enjoy, and I hope to hear from you! 

 Brigitte

Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay, was a book recommended to me by a friend of mine, and what first drew me to buy it was the title. Most of the times, if I let myself led by the title, I don’t get disappointed. This time however, I can’t say that this book was nothing what I expected it to be, but there were a few things that I wish happened differently.

The readers’ biggest complaint about this book was the fact that the story is taking place in two different places, two different times eras, and it goes back and forth between two characters. For me, that was the part I most liked about the book. I probably would have hated it in a different book, but in Sarah’s Key this way of keeping the reader under suspense, and allowing the two characters’ stories to slowly come together worked very well. 

 

Part of the story takes place in 1942, during the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, when one night, French police knock on the door of Sarah’s home, taking her and her mother with them, without explaining a word. Sarah locks her younger brother in the cupboard, planning to come back for him.

They were Jews, and it was so sad to live those times through the eyes of this 10-year-old girl. She couldn't understand this term of Jew, and why it was considered such a bad thing. The innocence of this girl, the questions she kept on asking herself, but mostly the complete confusion she was going through were so well described, that I was able to live those times through her eyes. It was scary!

On the other hand, in 2002, with the up-coming 60^th anniversary of  Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, Julia Jarmond  is slowly discovering information about the event, and is getting herself involved in this story that has more to do with her than she can imagine.

What threw me off in this book, was the fact that after the two stories became one, the book suddenly lost something. And that was okay for a while. For a few chapters after this, the story was still interesting, and keeping me alert. However, it felt at some point that the story was just dragging, going forward very slowly. Also, I believe I was expecting a different ending, not only for the main character, Sarah, but also regarding other aspects of the book.

When writing the review for this book, I discovered that there was also a movie made in 2010, with Melusine Mayance in the role of Sarah, and Kristin Scott Thomas playing Julia. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will watch it for sure. 

These being said, I totally recommend the book. The story will keep anyone interested, and some of you might not even be as picky as I was, and will actually enjoy it until the end.