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A review by dark_dispatch
The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book maintains a consistent voice throughout, which is evidence of the writer's skill. The language is hard to take sometimes, because of the casual racism, but it is appropriate for the period the book's set in. Still, I feel there should be a trigger warning about this, as it may be upsetting for some readers.
I'm not sure I would have read this if I knew it was an epistolary work. I say this because the book takes some liberties to convey information needed for the story. And that's where the book stumbled, for me. We have Benjamin's perspective, and he writes far more than was necessary to provide the requested testimony. That isn't the logic flaw. The logic flaw comes from a revelation quite deep in the story, around 65-70%, that Benjamin is nearsighted. He suddenly realizes he isn't a bad shot, he just can't see properly. And yet all the description provided in the story is from him and occurred before he knew this, or had glasses. It doesn't make sense he had such a clear sense of his surroundings and the people involved and could portray them in such detail.
I had enough interest in the story to finish it. However, this isn't a story that offers a real character arc or evidence of growth. While there were some amusing points along the way, and Samantha is one of a kind, I found it to be a bit downbeat and perhaps too realistic for my taste. There's no epiphany, no life lesson ... no real point to the story, in my opinion. It was left open ended, which may work for some, but in the context of this story, didn't work for me.
The next part has a mild spoiler about the ending.
By that, I mean the lack of clear resolution. You can choose what you believe happened, and there's nothing to prove or disprove what you decide to believe. For some, that will work well. As is, I wanted to like this more than I did.
I'm not sure I would have read this if I knew it was an epistolary work. I say this because the book takes some liberties to convey information needed for the story. And that's where the book stumbled, for me. We have Benjamin's perspective, and he writes far more than was necessary to provide the requested testimony. That isn't the logic flaw. The logic flaw comes from a revelation quite deep in the story, around 65-70%, that Benjamin is nearsighted. He suddenly realizes he isn't a bad shot, he just can't see properly. And yet all the description provided in the story is from him and occurred before he knew this, or had glasses. It doesn't make sense he had such a clear sense of his surroundings and the people involved and could portray them in such detail.
I had enough interest in the story to finish it. However, this isn't a story that offers a real character arc or evidence of growth. While there were some amusing points along the way, and Samantha is one of a kind, I found it to be a bit downbeat and perhaps too realistic for my taste. There's no epiphany, no life lesson ... no real point to the story, in my opinion. It was left open ended, which may work for some, but in the context of this story, didn't work for me.
The next part has a mild spoiler about the ending.
By that, I mean the lack of clear resolution. You can choose what you believe happened, and there's nothing to prove or disprove what you decide to believe. For some, that will work well. As is, I wanted to like this more than I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Violence