A review by heat_her
The Roving Tree by Elsie Augustave

4.0

The Roving Tree is so well-written. In addition to being a good story, Augustave manages to fit so many ideas and so much history into 300 pages, and she does it well. I already knew a bit about Haiti’s history under Papa Doc and his son, but I learned so much more from The Roving Tree. I also learned much about Haitian vaudou and the corruption in African countries like Zaire that I wasn’t aware of before. Augustave made me feel what Iris was going through–that sense of loss and not fully belonging anywhere, the feeling of always being the odd one out wherever one is. But while Iris’ story starts out full of loneliness and a feeling of incompleteness, it ends with a sense of fulfillment and happiness as Iris learns more about herself and her family in Haiti. It’s this feeling of belonging and knowing who she is that she wants to pass down to her newborn daughter.

The Roving Tree is Elsie Augustave’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Augustave writes beautifully and it’s obvious that she cares a lot about the subject matter she chooses. I definitely recommend The Roving Tree to anyone who likes reading literary fiction and/or to anyone who is interested in the ideas and history portrayed in the book.

Read my full review on Between the Covers...