Enough griping about Blogger! On to this book ...
I read this book for my book club and then ended up not attending because Sean wasn't feeling well after his shots. I was very curious to know the reactions of the other women in the group, but I will probably have to wait until next month to pose that question (we don't really e-mail between sessions).
Natalia is a doctor on her way to immunize children at a small orphanage when she receives the news of her grandfather's death. He had told the family that he was heading to see her, but she knew nothing of this arrangement. In addition, there is a family (battling illness) in the nearby vineyard digging at all hours of the day and night. As Natalia seeks to find the answers for her grandfather's isolated death, she remembers her grandfather's stories of the deathless man and the tiger's wife.
I was disappointed with this book. It was apparently hyped as one of the best books of the year. I found it difficult to read. I couldn't seem to connect to the characters in any way. Although the fable aspects were strong and the writing was very well done, it just didn't hold my interest. I found myself slogging through just to be able to say I finished. I suppose I was also expecting some big reveal (as to why the men were digging in the vineyard and why the main character's grandfather slipped off to an unknown area to die) and the reveal was a bit of a let-down.
I will say I am duly impressed with this young author's writing abilities. She weaves her story as if it was an effortless venture. Tea Obreht has been named one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty. At age 26, this is a remarkable achievement. I will keep her on my radar and perhaps her next story will draw me in and pull on my emotions more fully. Her talent is not in question. Her story just didn't grip me.
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