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A review by paperprivateer
Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Ayla has always loved trees. She and her best friend Kiri had special trees, and everyone knew that they were likely in their trees if they were looking for them. When Kiri goes away, Ayla is alone in her tree waiting for a chance to talk to her best friend again. One day, an old-fashioned telephone appears in the branches of Ayla’s birch tree, and soon people start using this phone to call their loved ones who have passed away. Ayla is determined to not make a phone call herself even as she watches her community embrace the mysterious phone.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t resonate with me. The writing style is repetitive and uses a lot of spaces and other devices to enhance the emotion, but I found it gimmicky rather than effective. The writing style made it difficult to tell what was really happening or even how old the character was. It seemed like the character was too young to understand rather than refusing to acknowledge it in her grief. It also made me feel more distant from the story, and I got more annoyed the longer it took to confirm what had happened. I felt like it was patronizing rather than sweet or moving. Overall, I think the “novel in verse without really being in verse” took away from the effectiveness.
When I could get past the writing style, I think the book does some interesting things in portraying grief. I liked many of the background stories of the people coming to use the telephone, and I liked the general depictions of the community caring for each other in their grief.
I think people who have experienced surprising emotions or not believing when something tragic happens may relate to this book and be deeply touched by it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t resonate with me. The writing style is repetitive and uses a lot of spaces and other devices to enhance the emotion, but I found it gimmicky rather than effective. The writing style made it difficult to tell what was really happening or even how old the character was. It seemed like the character was too young to understand rather than refusing to acknowledge it in her grief. It also made me feel more distant from the story, and I got more annoyed the longer it took to confirm what had happened. I felt like it was patronizing rather than sweet or moving. Overall, I think the “novel in verse without really being in verse” took away from the effectiveness.
When I could get past the writing style, I think the book does some interesting things in portraying grief. I liked many of the background stories of the people coming to use the telephone, and I liked the general depictions of the community caring for each other in their grief.
I think people who have experienced surprising emotions or not believing when something tragic happens may relate to this book and be deeply touched by it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me.