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A review by furny
The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*Chile
Such a short but mysterious and thought provoking novel.
Julian reads his young step-daughter, Daniela, a bedtime story while they wait for her mother, Veronica, to come home from her art class. He improvises a story about trees and a man who tends to a bonsai tree daily. Julian is a professor and a writer and while Daniela sleeps he reflects upon his previous relationships and his one with Veronica. His mind runs riot with images of what Veronica is doing as she has not returned which sends him in to a slipstream of life. He imagines Daniela as an older child, a teenager, an adult.
This book is about the relationships we have and make and how they impact us. It is also about fatherhood and family. The anticipation is in the wait for Veronica because as at the beginning we are told the book continues until she comes home.
A enjoyable novel but as it ended I had questions. It certainly left me thinking.
Such a short but mysterious and thought provoking novel.
Julian reads his young step-daughter, Daniela, a bedtime story while they wait for her mother, Veronica, to come home from her art class. He improvises a story about trees and a man who tends to a bonsai tree daily. Julian is a professor and a writer and while Daniela sleeps he reflects upon his previous relationships and his one with Veronica. His mind runs riot with images of what Veronica is doing as she has not returned which sends him in to a slipstream of life. He imagines Daniela as an older child, a teenager, an adult.
This book is about the relationships we have and make and how they impact us. It is also about fatherhood and family. The anticipation is in the wait for Veronica because as at the beginning we are told the book continues until she comes home.
A enjoyable novel but as it ended I had questions. It certainly left me thinking.