Review of Hunger of the Pine

[Mamman Alhassan Thomas]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Hunger of the Pine" by Teal Swan.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Hunger of the Pine is a beautifully crafted novel by Teal Swan that tells the story of Aria Abbott. She is a young girl facing homelessness and other life challenges. After being taken from her mother (Lucy was an addict who struggled to make ends meet) at a very young age, she experiences life in a group home and several foster homes. At the age of 14, she is adopted by Johnson’s family, a religious Christian family. Unknown to Mrs. Johnson, Aria suffers sexual abuse at the hands of her husband. Life in the Johnson home becomes unbearable, and Aria runs away.
Out on the street in Chicago with no one to cater to her, she struggles to survive. She runs into Taylor, a fellow homeless young man; they both travel to Los Angeles in search of a better life. Roaming on the streets of LA, they become friends with Luke, another homeless fellow by choice. He introduces them to a group of individuals who reside in an abandoned car park. This place is filled with individuals of different characters and diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Aria’s life takes a positive turn when she meets Omkar at a shop owned by Omkar’s Indian parents. They both feel an instant connection. What becomes of Aria and Omkar? Will Omakar’s parents approve of this relationship? Does Aria’s desire to belong get fulfilled? Does Taylor achieve his dream of becoming an actor? Read this book to find out.

This book is centred around the themes of resilience, friendship, self-discovery, cultural understanding, and social issues. The author’s storytelling ability is something I admire; he kept me engaged and captivated as I read the story to the end. The author has the talent of making readers empathise with Aria’s struggles for survival, identity, and love, as well as other characters like Robert, Taylor, Omkar, etc.

This book also touched on several social issues, like homelessness. It showed that some people are homeless by choice or by being victims of circumstances; not every homeless individual has a drug or alcohol issue.

Overall, there’s nothing I disliked about this novel. It was exceptionally well written and edited, with no noticeable errors. I give this novel a perfect five-star rating.
I recommend this book to only adult readers because it contains adult content like rape, violence, drug abuse, and adult language. It is also not for sensitive readers.

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Hunger of the Pine
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