I really enjoyed the brevity and flow of The Surrender Tree. It was a fast but lingering read. I find myself remembering images created by Engle's constructions and being reminded of details. It was interesting how so much time went by so quickly in the text, and I didn't find it jarring. I was also struck how the text began with such a harsh image (the body split four ways and hung from a tree) and ended so anticlimactically with the soft image of the surrender tree from a distance. I don't know. I'm going to have to chew on this thought for a while...
The story told within the poetry was compelling to me. Rosa led a life of helping others outside of the prevailing tragedy/wrong of the day, shared of herself constantly, and then passed the torch to yet another generation. That's a feel good story for me, and the element of natural herbal healing was icing on the cake.
The poetry worked in a simple, yet effective way. Engle created strong images that were repeated enough to make them last in lyrical ways. I also appreciated the author's playing with the languages and mingling of tongues. As a fan of language, I like playing with language too, and inserting Spanish into English is always welcome, especially when it accentuates and allows me to practice saying words I don't know how to say. Awesome.
The narrative worked as a character driven piece as well. I liked how Engle carried them all over time in such a seamless fashion. I could see reading this in class aloud as a dramatic exercise. I kept wanting to audibly boo when Lt. Death made an appearance. Same with Weylar. All in all, tight read.
No comments:
Post a Comment