Naseem Rakha’s first novel, The Crying Tree is a tightly-told story of a family torn apart first by the murder of a child and then by a mother’s surprising act of forgiveness. It is a beautifully written piece that presents a very realistic portrait of a family struggling to put itself back together after a devastating loss. Though Rakha never shies away from the sorrow felt by each family member, she helps the reader transcend the pain by focusing on the larger issue of acceptance and forgiveness.
For those of us who simply can’t imagine ever forgiving such a heinous act, The Crying Tree is a testament to the human desire to seek resolution. When Nate moves his family from their contented life in southern Illinois to rural Oregon, he says it will be good for Shep, his 15-year-old son. For Irene Stanley, the move is unthinkable; she is raising her children happily in her old family home. But Nate insists the move is best. Once settled, Shep and his sister Bliss make friends and start a new life. All is shattered when Nate arrives home early one afternoon to find his son brutally attacked and murdered. What evolves from here is a piece of masterful storytelling, where the layers of secrets and deceits are carefully revealed until the nearly unbelievable end is revealed.
Award-winning journalist Rakha takes her cue from a real-life encounter with a woman she met at a peace rally who had just visited an inmate at San Quentin’s death row, the man who had murdered her daughter. Though the sorrow and grief of losing a child is insurmountable, “life also offers us moments of inspiration, joy, and redemption, and as I wrote The Crying Tree, those life-affirming emotions far outweighed the weighty nature of the subject,” Rakha says.
Though I rarely turn away from “sad” books, I do draw the line at pain inflicted on children. So I approached The Crying Tree with caution. I can honestly say that while the struggles experienced by the Stanley family were palpable at times, I was able to shed the grief while connecting with this family’s journey to find equilibrium and meaning again. The Crying Tree will make an excellent Book Group selection as it provides lots to examine and discuss, and will undoubtedly elicit strong feelings and opinions.
~Wendee