Official Review: The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

[Alexandra Bayer]

Ichmad Hamid lives in a war-torn country, under the control of the Israeli military government. His Palestinian friends and family live in eternal fear of losing everything - not just possessions, but people near and dear to them. Ichmad has a brilliant mind - but what use is it to him if he can't help anyone with it? On his twelfth birthday, Ichmad's father is arrested and charged as a terrorist. Now Ichmad is in charge of providing for his family. He must struggle through painful jobs and tragedy before he realizes a way to use his mind to help those closest to him. But in a world that only understands war and revenge, will Ichmad be able to make a living doing what he loves, while still caring for his family?

This was another book I was grateful to receive through Goodreads First Reads. Again, not the type I would normally read. I was sure I would have to force myself to slowly suffer through it. And that's how it started off. But the farther I got into this book, the more I began to realize what a true treasure it is to any book collection. This book deserves an award! Not only is it in first person (which I like) but it shows so many aspects of this world humans live in - the good and the bad. I had no idea what had been going on since the 1950's in poorer countries. Of course, I wasn't born yet, so I have that excuse. Still, I'm proud to say I know much information about foreign countries. And now, thanks to this book, I know more about Palestine and Israel. I find racism to be disgusting. Everyone is equal. Colour and race shouldn't matter when minds are equivalent or - as in Ichmad's case - surpass the average. The Almond Tree really drove that message home.

One thing I didn't like about the way this novel was written, however, was how I felt detached from Ichmad. This was one of the cases where I heard, through dialogue, rather than felt his thoughts through inner turmoil. This doesn't give me the same feeling of closeness and relatability to the character. I found this was also because the story skips large chunks of Ichmad's life, in order to get to the main, important parts. He starts off young, barely considered a competent child. But his father isn't arrested until he turns twelve. Then he ages as he supports his family. When he pursues another direction, he in his late teens to thirties. The story ends when he is an old man. Losing those moments made him become another, entirely different, wizened person. The reader must assume some of what has happened, and try to understand what is being said now that time has passed which the reader could not witness. I understand the relativity of these spaces; however, it made me more detached to Ichmad as a character.

The quality of writing in this book was quite good, considering it's Michelle Cohen Corasanti's first full novel. I found the descriptions painted a clear picture in my mind of just where the characters were. Often in books, I find that the setting may be overlooked when the focus is on the characters. That didn't happen in this story. I can picture every place Ichmad described as clearly in my head as if I'd been there myself. Some of these images aren't as pleasant, however. A slaughterhouse, filled with blood and gore... staring death in the face and walking away without surprise... a seemingly harmless meadow, pitted with mines... the sad thing is that these images do exist in real life. I can't just tell myself that they are figments of an overactive imagination. As I stated before, this book made me realize much about the world.

Overall, I enjoyed The Almond Tree much more than I'd originally thought I would. I would give it a strong, steady rating of three stars. Although not my favourite book, it dealt with serious issues that more people need to think about. I would and did recommend this book to any collector looking for a more serious read. People who may enjoy it more than others would be those looking for fictional events based on real history, foreign cultures, and the balance of science vs. religion; good vs. evil.