The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli

Book:   The Forgetting Tree 

Author:  Tatjana  Soli

Grade:  C - 

Recommended to:  Crazies. 

I got this book for Christmas because I really liked Soli's first book The Lotus Eaters.  Unfortunately, The Forgetting Tree did not have the same depth.  

This book was about a woman who's son was killed in a kidnapping-gone-bad.  That's the first two chapters.  Then, the book advances 25 years and the husband has left, the two other daughters have grown and moved on and the woman, Claire is running her citrus farm by herself.  Then, she finds out that she has cancer, so she hires a complete stranger to care for her during her convalescence.

This stranger starts stealing her stuff and selling it, does crazy voo doo magic, and basically lets the farm go to waste. Sounds interesting right?  Wrong, the book meanders back and forth and blurs the line between reality and voo doo visions.  I can't relate to any of these people.  Claire has a demonstrated history of wise decisions regarding her life and farm and then makes the incredibly stupid decision to hire a nutcase.  The story didn't work for me.

The one good thing about this book is that Soli is a pretty good writer.  I loved her first book which had serious depth.  But, this book left something major to be desired in terms of story, characters and content.  The reviews on goodreads were similarly so-so.

Because I have limited reading time, I probably won't read anything by Soli again unless her next book gets really outstanding reviews.  Like I've said time and again, the first book is usually the best book.

Happy Reading!