A review by theaceofpages
Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
"Now one of these women is dead, but Dante cannot cry. He is furious with the glorious sun in the white-blue sky. He does not understand why tragedies always happywm on beautiful sunny days."
Set in Iran, this book looks at the lives of the children of prisoners. It examines the pain and grief experienced in the extreme regime between 1983 and 2011.
This book had so much potential. I felt a connection with Azar in the first chapter as the author seemed to focus on building her up. After that... After that I got a little lost. The book went downhill after the first chapter. There are just too many characters and things happening. Sure, there are some beautiful parts and the writing isn't bad, but overall I just struggled to get into the book as much for the rest. The pain of the characters is there, but I couldn't connect with them in the same way. I don't know, the other characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped. Maybe it's just because if how many there are and how quickly they're introduced though. This might have worked better as a series of short stories. They already are so close to being one, but they are all loosely connected by a fine, very tangled, thread.
I did consider giving this book three stars, but I don't think it's quite there. And looking at comments some others have made, the book dramatically underplayed the conditions in the prison (the part of the story that managed to draw me in and I connected with most as a result). While this is fiction, it disappoints me a bit and convinced me to go with a slightly lower ranting (one I was already considering anyway).
Set in Iran, this book looks at the lives of the children of prisoners. It examines the pain and grief experienced in the extreme regime between 1983 and 2011.
This book had so much potential. I felt a connection with Azar in the first chapter as the author seemed to focus on building her up. After that... After that I got a little lost. The book went downhill after the first chapter. There are just too many characters and things happening. Sure, there are some beautiful parts and the writing isn't bad, but overall I just struggled to get into the book as much for the rest. The pain of the characters is there, but I couldn't connect with them in the same way. I don't know, the other characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped. Maybe it's just because if how many there are and how quickly they're introduced though. This might have worked better as a series of short stories. They already are so close to being one, but they are all loosely connected by a fine, very tangled, thread.
I did consider giving this book three stars, but I don't think it's quite there. And looking at comments some others have made, the book dramatically underplayed the conditions in the prison (the part of the story that managed to draw me in and I connected with most as a result). While this is fiction, it disappoints me a bit and convinced me to go with a slightly lower ranting (one I was already considering anyway).
Content warnings
I will try to avoid spoliers and will add a note if it contains one!
Loss of child
Confinement
Death
Grief
Violence
Miscarriage
Suicide
Loss of child
Spoiler
Not to death but a child is removed from their mother. She struggles with it.Confinement
Spoiler
The first story is about a prisoner.Death
Spoiler
Not particularly gruesome, but there are multiple deaths. One Includes post death rituals.Grief
Spoiler
A lot of sadness around loss, including deathViolence
Spoiler
Includes a woman getting beaten by a group of guards.Miscarriage
Spoiler
Probably the best word to use for the situation.The actual loss isn't detailed, but the events leading to it are upsetting.Suicide
Spoiler
A character hangs themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
Minor: War