The Girl in the Tree by Şebnem İşigüzel (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: The Girl in the Tree

Author: Şebnem İşigüzel (translated by Mark David Wyers)

Publication: 16 April 2020 -- Amazon Crossing

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

A young woman climbs the tallest tree in Istanbul’s centuries-old Gülhane Park, determined to live out the rest of her days there. Perched in an abandoned stork’s nest in a sanctuary of branches and leaves, she tries to make sense of the rising tide of violence in the world below. Torn between the desire to forget all that has happened and the need to remember, her story, and the stories of those around her, begins to unfold.

Then, unexpectedly, comes a soul mate with a shared destiny. A lonely boy working at a nearby hotel looks up and falls in love. The two share stories of the fates of their families, of a changing city, and of their political awakenings in the Gezi Park protests. Together, they navigate their histories of love and loss, set against a backdrop of societal tension leading up to the tragic bombing that marked a turn in Turkey’s democracy—and sent a young girl fleeing into the trees.

Narrated by one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction—as full of audacious humor and irony as she is of rage and grief—this unsparing and poetic novel of political madness, precarious dreams, and the will to survive brilliantly captures a girl’s road to defiance in a world turned upside down, in which it is only from the treetops that she can find a grip on reality—and the promise of hope.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

There are a lot of conflicting reviews out there about this book. I saw a lot of people who loved it ... and probably just as many who said that they just couldn't get through it. I'm pretty sure the problem isn't with the translation, but with the Girl in the Tree herself. She's the narrator and she has a tendency to ramble ... a lot. Of course, I totally get her. Well, our life experiences are really nothing alike, but I get the whole bit about the rambling and the brain jumping from one topic to another. Besides, the disjointedness of it somehow seemed to add to the story for me, rather than distract. After all, it's being told by a teenage girl who has run away from the angst of life by climbing into a tree where she intends to stay. She's likely to come across as a bit unhinged. I'm still not sure if I'm on the "love it" or "leave it" side of the debate, but I at least think I understand somewhat. Perhaps. Maybe.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two

of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.