Review of Hunger of the Pine
-
Sarvesh J Yadav
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 166
- Joined: 01 Feb 2024, 08:55
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 69
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sarvesh-j-yadav.html
- Latest Review: Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature, second edition by Chet Shupe
Review of Hunger of the Pine
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hunger of the Pine" by Teal Swan.]
Deep in the heart of Hunger of the Pine, Teal Swan's novel has a bedrock of different divisions: identity, safety, and even narration. Through Aria's eyes, we walk by her side; she is a girl of about 16 who longs for connections in an environment where her stability is under an appropriate question mark. By using her past experiences, Aria does much the same thing as she struggles to integrate traumatic memories.
Swan's writing is unsparing. The amount of abuse Aria faces is shown without holding anything back, making her adventures with little tenderness more emotional. Aria's thoughts often fixate on little acts of kindness, those fleeting moments she could latch on to from a stranger, and the camaraderie she finds among the homeless folks as the only resemblance to what she was missing in isolation. The novel is outstanding when it comes to showing us simply how weak and valuable connection among people is, no matter what devastation people may go through.
Yet, the storytelling adopts similarities to Aria's fractured world, which can be off-putting to some readers. Flat jumps can occur between the past and present, and the tone shocks from one area to another could make the reading chaotic. Briefly, this disorientation serves the purpose. It puts the reader inside Aria's tumultuous broken head, altogether granting a personal comprehension of her trauma.
The narrative coverage in the second half reveals survival apart from tribulation, but isolation and the desire to be part of a community change everything. By setting the story here, Swan addresses the ideas of "found family" and "alternative society structures," as well as the tiny aspect of the spiritual. This may be the point where the novel is not engaging for the readers. It adds a ray of hope, the remedy to the hardships and miseries through connectedness, but some may find that it conflicts with the brutal realism of the first half. I would give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars! The editing was great, and rather than reading "The Hunger of the Pine," for me, I love it.
The main theme of "Hunger of the Pine" does not provide solutions easily or closure simply. It shows the extent of the cruel things a person can do to belong to something or feel safer. 'The Hunger of the Pine' is an unquestionably formidable, even if difficult, book. Its undeviating depiction of pain and its search for the core of the human being will linger in the minds of the readers even after they have read the last page.
******
Hunger of the Pine
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Deep in the heart of Hunger of the Pine, Teal Swan's novel has a bedrock of different divisions: identity, safety, and even narration. Through Aria's eyes, we walk by her side; she is a girl of about 16 who longs for connections in an environment where her stability is under an appropriate question mark. By using her past experiences, Aria does much the same thing as she struggles to integrate traumatic memories.
Swan's writing is unsparing. The amount of abuse Aria faces is shown without holding anything back, making her adventures with little tenderness more emotional. Aria's thoughts often fixate on little acts of kindness, those fleeting moments she could latch on to from a stranger, and the camaraderie she finds among the homeless folks as the only resemblance to what she was missing in isolation. The novel is outstanding when it comes to showing us simply how weak and valuable connection among people is, no matter what devastation people may go through.
Yet, the storytelling adopts similarities to Aria's fractured world, which can be off-putting to some readers. Flat jumps can occur between the past and present, and the tone shocks from one area to another could make the reading chaotic. Briefly, this disorientation serves the purpose. It puts the reader inside Aria's tumultuous broken head, altogether granting a personal comprehension of her trauma.
The narrative coverage in the second half reveals survival apart from tribulation, but isolation and the desire to be part of a community change everything. By setting the story here, Swan addresses the ideas of "found family" and "alternative society structures," as well as the tiny aspect of the spiritual. This may be the point where the novel is not engaging for the readers. It adds a ray of hope, the remedy to the hardships and miseries through connectedness, but some may find that it conflicts with the brutal realism of the first half. I would give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars! The editing was great, and rather than reading "The Hunger of the Pine," for me, I love it.
The main theme of "Hunger of the Pine" does not provide solutions easily or closure simply. It shows the extent of the cruel things a person can do to belong to something or feel safer. 'The Hunger of the Pine' is an unquestionably formidable, even if difficult, book. Its undeviating depiction of pain and its search for the core of the human being will linger in the minds of the readers even after they have read the last page.
******
Hunger of the Pine
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
