The Language of Trees by Illie Ruby

The book synopsis from the author's website:

Gripping, suspenseful, magical, and richly atmospheric—a story told from several distinct and unforgettable viewpoints—Ilie Ruby’s haunting debut novel, THE LANGUAGE OF TREES is exhilarating fiction that announces the arrival of a truly extraordinary storyteller. 
In the sprawling lake region of Canandaigua, New York—a place where some families have secrets they would do anything to keep—little Luke Ellis disappeared. Now, over a decade later, his teenage sister, Melanie, has vanished, abandoning her infant son. As the frantic search for Melanie ensues, Grant Shongo, a Seneca healer, finds himself caught up by a spirit that draws him into a world where nature and the spiritual realm are intertwined and nothing is as it seems. It is only with the help of his childhood love, Echo O'Connell, that the mystery of the Ellis children can be put to rest. But before the healing must come the forgiveness. Written in a magic realist vernacular, THE LANGUAGE OF TREES examines the tremulous bonds between parents and children, lovers and friends, and restless spirits—both living and not. It is a story that will make you believe that the spirits of those we love watch over us, that people can heal each other, and that if you can truly forgive yourself, the world will return to you all of your forgotten dreams. 

I don't know what it is but 2010 has so far been producing a wonderful array of debut writers. I'm obviously not complaining, I'm actually loving it. For an avid reader like me, it's always great to experience a work of such talent as Ilie Ruby's. And to read The Language of Trees by Ms. Ruby, it truly is an experience, and one that I will not soon forget.


Simply put, The Language of Trees took me by surprise and in the end I realized I cared for the story, for the people in it more than I had thought I would when I began reading the novel. I admit that the beginning was a little difficult for me to get get through but I didn't have to wait long to be rewarded. Only after fifty pages or so, the story took off and took me to unexpected places. I was rooting for pretty much every character in there because Ms. Ruby somehow made them all important in their own right, just like in real life, everyone you encounter on your path is significant in one way or another even if you're not aware of it.

There's Melanie, the former drug addict who is not physically present for most of the novel but the more she's searched for by her mother and her life partner, Lion, the more I got to know her, care for her and feel for her pain. Lion is an altogether different story. He might very well be my most favorite person from the book (although there are quite a few strong contenders), mostly because his love for Melanie is almost supernatural, it's so strong and he hurts so much when he can't find her. I won't even tell you how many times I've come close to having my heart broken. I won't describe every character here for you even though I'm tempted because they are all worth the time and attention, I just don't want to spoil your reading.

Characters are not the only things worth talking about in The Language of Trees. I admit that I am a fan of magic realism and I was thrilled to find elements of it in Ms. Ruby's novel. Especially because it was pulled off really well and it was convincing, which is not an easy feat in my opinion. The reference and big influence of Native American, specifically Senecan, mythology on the story is yet another great part of the book. I somehow can never get enough of Native American traditions and culture, they hold that special mystic atmosphere for me which always makes a book richer if introduced adequately. Last but not least, the writing is simply magical. I found myself contemplating individual sentences and paragraphs many times before I would move on to the next one. I also wrote down many of them because I want them committed to my memory. Quite a few thoughts and observations there moved me deeply and they might ultimately be the reason that I will one day want to reread this novel.

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Special thanks to Ilie Ruby for sending me a copy of her book for review.

Broken: A Love Story by Lisa Jones

I haven’t written a review for such a long time that I’m starting to fear I might be out of touch. Hopefully I’m not, because I really want to give justice and write as good a review as I possibly can on Broken: A Love Story by Lisa Jones. It’s a wonderful memoir and it deserves the attention and words of praise and, last but not least, a good review.

Lisa Jones is a freelance writer, writing articles for magazines and for NPR. One of her magazine assignments was to write about Stanford Addison, an Arapaho Indian. She left her home and went to Wyoming in search for Stanford, not having the slightest idea that what was supposed to be a four-day-trip, would turn out to be a life-long journey of friendship with a very inspiring man. Stanford Addison was that man. He ‘broke’ wild horses, he healed people from maladies, depression, bipolar disorder and cancer being only some of them and everyone just gravitated towards him, especially children. He was also a quadriplegic who at one point in his life, shortly after a terrible accident that left him paralyzed, wanted to kill himself to end his own misery. But physical limitations seemed to be the least of his problems. Right after the accident, Stanford kept being visited by spirits and eventually realized that he had special and mysterious gifts and he had to use them whether he wanted to or not. Lisa comes into his life twenty years after Stanford’s accident but instead of simply writing an article, she ends up with a book in which we learn how she got ‘broken’ and discovered truths about herself she didn’t know existed, and how she got to truly love and be loved.

Broken is a refreshing, captivating memoir. And it’s not a love story you might think it is. It’s a story of discovering love of life, of the people and world around you, and of every mundane thing there is out there. Because in end, nothing in our lives really is or has to be mundane. From the description, you’d think the book is a work of fiction what with the ghosts and healings in it. However, I didn’t for a second doubt Stanford Addison’s story because Lisa somehow managed to convince me with her writing that Stanford’s spirit visitations and his healing abilities are very much real, however amazing and mysterious they might seem. I remember actually being quite envious at times. I envied Lisa her friendship with Stanford and his family. They all are Northern Arapaho Indians who live in poverty, who get into a lot of troubles with law, who are wild but who are also beautiful and rich, and wise.

Lisa Jones really is a skilled writer and I hope she actually decides to write more books. She’s very honest, especially about herself even if it may invite criticism. I think I liked that honesty the most. No one was glorified which only made the memoir and the people in it all the more likeable. You have no idea how many times while reading I wished I were right there, in Wyoming with Stanford and his family. I know they could teach me a lot about appreciating life and all that comes with it. But because I can’t, Broken is quite enough for now and I know I will be going back to reading this book many times, just to remind myself of simple truths written in there. If you like memoirs and want to be inspired, this is definitely a book for you. Even if you don’t read memoirs, you should still read this one because there is much to learn from it, and maybe you’ll even gain a fresh perspective on your own life.

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Special thanks to the author, Lisa Jones, for sending me a copy of Broken: A Love Story.