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A review by cnapple
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A youg doctor in an unnamed Balkan country travels across the war-ravaged countryaide on a humanitarian mission. Along the way she learns of the death of her grandfather, also a doctor, with whom she share an extremely close relationship. As she remembers his life, and her childhood, she pieces together the stories he told her with the stories she learned after his death, and even the stories they created together.
Through this composite narrative, the reader learns how a people scarred by war and loss find meaning in life and death. Tea Obrecht weaves a winding, mystical tale, blending harsh reality with folkloric magic in strikingly beautiful prose. The author doesn't hold the reader's hand as she leads them through a story that dodges and weaves through time. The novel is heavy on imagery and light on explanation, and leaves the reader decide on the moral of each interwoven tale, but in the end, the journey is worth it for the road taken more than the destination.
Through this composite narrative, the reader learns how a people scarred by war and loss find meaning in life and death. Tea Obrecht weaves a winding, mystical tale, blending harsh reality with folkloric magic in strikingly beautiful prose. The author doesn't hold the reader's hand as she leads them through a story that dodges and weaves through time. The novel is heavy on imagery and light on explanation, and leaves the reader decide on the moral of each interwoven tale, but in the end, the journey is worth it for the road taken more than the destination.