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A review by sebby_reads
ကျွန်မ၏သစ်ပင် by ဂျူး
4.0
Despite the protagonist being an adolescent male, the title was named ‘My Tree’ with feminine pronoun. After an argument with his father, Oak Soe, an aspiring singer and song writer, left his hometown and started working random jobs in Yangon. Later he worked as a driver for an older woman, Daw Ni Ni Zaw, and she discovered his musical talent. From that, his music career escalated and became a successful artist. His strained relationship with his father and the unsettling relationship with Daw Ni Ni Zaw were meticulously written and it was such a satisfying read.
Apart from her relentless use of her weak translations of lyrics from some 90’s english songs in between, regardless of the storyline they didn’t fit in, it was actually a beautiful read. The relationship between the protagonist and the older female was poignantly crafted with such subtlety. I believe she had to tone down her writing cause at that time, the Board of Literary Censorship was quite extreme and conservative so when it comes to portraying the relationship between two unmarried couple, she had to be subtle.
Personally, I feel this book has one of the most pervasive female characters I have read in Burmese books. Like a kind mother, she cared for him; like a good employer, she cultivated his music career; like a considerate lover, she put up with his passive-aggressive behaviours. She is so giving.
I normally prefer reading her short stories to her novels but this book is my absolute favourite of hers. Yesterday afternoon, I took a detour from my current read and picked up this book by Juu for the umpteenth time. (Simply because I feel like it.) Re-reading this book brought me a mix of joy and sadness as it has always been. 4 stars out of 5.
Apart from her relentless use of her weak translations of lyrics from some 90’s english songs in between, regardless of the storyline they didn’t fit in, it was actually a beautiful read. The relationship between the protagonist and the older female was poignantly crafted with such subtlety. I believe she had to tone down her writing cause at that time, the Board of Literary Censorship was quite extreme and conservative so when it comes to portraying the relationship between two unmarried couple, she had to be subtle.
Personally, I feel this book has one of the most pervasive female characters I have read in Burmese books. Like a kind mother, she cared for him; like a good employer, she cultivated his music career; like a considerate lover, she put up with his passive-aggressive behaviours. She is so giving.
I normally prefer reading her short stories to her novels but this book is my absolute favourite of hers. Yesterday afternoon, I took a detour from my current read and picked up this book by Juu for the umpteenth time. (Simply because I feel like it.) Re-reading this book brought me a mix of joy and sadness as it has always been. 4 stars out of 5.