Book Review - The Tiger's Wife

I read so many books that it's hard to keep track of them all. Plus Mike is always telling me I read them so fast, which is true, do I really retain all the information? Sometimes I read the books so fast because I'm so excited to get to the end and see what happens (the sign of a good book). I've decided I want to do a better job of keeping track of all the books so I can remember them and how I felt about them and if I'd recommend the book or not. I'm always looking for new recommendations from my friends and also want to recommend books to them. I'm going to to try to type up my own book reviews, to keep me on track I'm going to try and use a couple simple questions each time to keep the format the same and easy to review.

For my first book review, I want to write about the book we read last month for book club because it made me really conflicted.

Book Title: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Orbret

Book Summary: "In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife."

From Publishers Weekly: "The sometimes crushing power of myth, story, and memory is explored in the brilliant debut of Obreht, the youngest of the New Yorker's 20-under-40. Natalia Stefanovi, a doctor living (and, in between suspensions, practicing) in an unnamed country crosses the border in search of answers about the death of her beloved grandfather, who raised her on tales from the village he grew up in, and where, following German bombardment in 1941, a tiger escaped from the zoo in a nearby city and befriended a mysterious deaf-mute woman. The evolving story of the tiger's wife, as the deaf-mute becomes known, forms one of three strands that sustain the novel, the other two being Natalia's efforts to care for orphans and a wayward family who, to lift a curse, are searching for the bones of a long-dead relative; and several of her grandfather's stories about Gavran Gailé, the deathless man, whose appearances coincide with catastrophe and who may hold the key to all the stories that ensnare Natalia. Obreht is an expert at depicting history through aftermath, people through the love they inspire, and place through the stories that endure; the reflected world she creates is both immediately recognizable and a legend in its own right."

Who were the main characters? The main character in the story is Natalia, a young doctor who has just learned about her Grandfathers death. The story is also about her Grandfather and the stories that he told her growing up.

Could you relate to any of the characters in the story? No, this was probably my biggest complaint about the book was that I could not form a connection to any of the characters. I felt like there was a lack of information that allowed you to connect with Natalia.

Did you like the book? Honestly no. I was sitting on the couch struggling to get through the book. I kept saying to Mike I don't understand this book and felt like it was dragging on, I don't feel like it pulled me in. Even when I had finished I was still so confused and had so many unanswered questions. I was searching online for like a cliff notes summary of the book in hopes that it could help answer some of my questions. Needless to say I was not surprised when I came across discussion boards with people that had the same reaction and thoughts as I did.

There were story lines and characters in the book that were just thrown in that did not further the book along at all and only left more questions. For example there was a story about the girl that was traveling with Natalia about her working with a prosecutor about a case but you never find out what happens with it. I also found it difficult to put several of the main story lines together to follow what the meaning of the story was.

Would you recommend this book to another person? No, I wouldn't. I would say to pass on this book. I am surprised by all the hype that it has received and that it is a NY Times best seller. I am all for an intellectual book that makes you stop and think about the story or use your imagination but in this case the lack of being able to connect with the characters I think really made it a difficult read for me.