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A review by tinlizzyd08
Thorn Tree by Max Ludington
4.0
Thorn Tree
Max Ludington
If the word “foreboding” was described by a single book, this would be the book! There is a dark ominous vibe from start to finish that kinda creeped me out but also sparked my curiosity. Usually I would call that suspense, but this was more like a muggy fug of impending doom that you are running towards in slow motion.
So that actually sounds like a nightmare and yeah, it does have a bit of that dissociative mindbending feel, especially when the author starts describing some of the weird theories a group of his characters embrace (more to come on that in a minute!). But it’s also a masterful building of tension that happens throughout the read that kept me flipping those pages fascinated by how this wild ride could possibly finish. Ludington’s writing style definitely engaged me and I didn’t want to put it down.
We meet Daniel in current day California and the timeline jumps back and forth between his past, starting in the no holds barred 60s, and his present reality. In the present, he is a man who has lived his life in the wake of a tragic incident which is a story that slowly unfolds for us with forays back into time. This incident has infiltrated all his relationships and life choices in the following years, turning him from a boy with life at his feet to an old man with a suitcase full of regrets. But there are things he also doesn’t know, missing facts that could have and maybe still will change everything. The structure of the story is anything but straightforward but it’s a puzzle I enjoyed figuring out.
One of Ludington strengths in this book is how he creates powerful and very realistic characters, full of flaws and relatable emotions. Their storylines, like Celia and Dean who the story opens with, develop extensively and exist almost independently of Daniel’s. Yet oddly his is the only story that has a beginning, middle and end. By the end, everyone else feels unresolved and relegated to the periphery like they didn’t matter so much, even though Ludington detailed their lives and thoughts with vivid contour from the start. I was highly annoyed to not get full stories about each and every person. Like, excuse me, sir, but don’t make me get involved with your characters and then leave me hanging! It’s an open-ended treatment that maybe could be said to create mystery and drama but for me felt unsatisfying.
But back to the foreboding part, the subject matter is part of what gives this book such a weird vibe. The other major character, Jack has some strange experiences with a cult and there are often extensive breakdowns of the cult’s mystic beliefs and supernatural philosophies. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like just the cult’s view but perhaps the author’s and you start to wonder if maybe the villain has a valid point despite some of his more questionable choices. It takes a skilled writer to make a villain still somehow relatable. Ludington definitely played with my mind a little bit here!
All said and done, this book won’t be a cookie cutter read and will stimulate your brain cells, which is always intriguing. It kept me thinking beyond the pages and I value that in a book! You probably won’t put this one down with the elation that comes with a nice tidy ending and a storybook high but I think you’ll find it worth the read!
*I was graciously provided an ARC to review by St Martin’s press in exchange for my honest opinion.
Max Ludington
If the word “foreboding” was described by a single book, this would be the book! There is a dark ominous vibe from start to finish that kinda creeped me out but also sparked my curiosity. Usually I would call that suspense, but this was more like a muggy fug of impending doom that you are running towards in slow motion.
So that actually sounds like a nightmare and yeah, it does have a bit of that dissociative mindbending feel, especially when the author starts describing some of the weird theories a group of his characters embrace (more to come on that in a minute!). But it’s also a masterful building of tension that happens throughout the read that kept me flipping those pages fascinated by how this wild ride could possibly finish. Ludington’s writing style definitely engaged me and I didn’t want to put it down.
We meet Daniel in current day California and the timeline jumps back and forth between his past, starting in the no holds barred 60s, and his present reality. In the present, he is a man who has lived his life in the wake of a tragic incident which is a story that slowly unfolds for us with forays back into time. This incident has infiltrated all his relationships and life choices in the following years, turning him from a boy with life at his feet to an old man with a suitcase full of regrets. But there are things he also doesn’t know, missing facts that could have and maybe still will change everything. The structure of the story is anything but straightforward but it’s a puzzle I enjoyed figuring out.
One of Ludington strengths in this book is how he creates powerful and very realistic characters, full of flaws and relatable emotions. Their storylines, like Celia and Dean who the story opens with, develop extensively and exist almost independently of Daniel’s. Yet oddly his is the only story that has a beginning, middle and end. By the end, everyone else feels unresolved and relegated to the periphery like they didn’t matter so much, even though Ludington detailed their lives and thoughts with vivid contour from the start. I was highly annoyed to not get full stories about each and every person. Like, excuse me, sir, but don’t make me get involved with your characters and then leave me hanging! It’s an open-ended treatment that maybe could be said to create mystery and drama but for me felt unsatisfying.
But back to the foreboding part, the subject matter is part of what gives this book such a weird vibe. The other major character, Jack has some strange experiences with a cult and there are often extensive breakdowns of the cult’s mystic beliefs and supernatural philosophies. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like just the cult’s view but perhaps the author’s and you start to wonder if maybe the villain has a valid point despite some of his more questionable choices. It takes a skilled writer to make a villain still somehow relatable. Ludington definitely played with my mind a little bit here!
All said and done, this book won’t be a cookie cutter read and will stimulate your brain cells, which is always intriguing. It kept me thinking beyond the pages and I value that in a book! You probably won’t put this one down with the elation that comes with a nice tidy ending and a storybook high but I think you’ll find it worth the read!
*I was graciously provided an ARC to review by St Martin’s press in exchange for my honest opinion.