Since I
started by blog, I’ve done an annual Advent Book Calendar highlighting books I
have enjoyed and authors I really like.
This year I thought I’d do an Advent Book Calendar with a twist; for
each day leading up to Christmas, I’m going to post a review of a book to which
I’ve given only one star (Throw a book at this one) or two stars (Don’t put this book in your book bag). Though I would not recommend these books,
others have disagreed with me. Each
book, on Goodreads, has received a 3 or 4 Star average rating.
Review of The Willow Tree by Hubert Selby Jr.
2
Stars
In the
South Bronx, Bobby, a thirteen-year-old Black, and Maria, his Hispanic
girlfriend, are attacked and savagely beaten. Bobby is taken in by Moishe
(a.k.a. Werner Schultz), a concentration camp survivor, and nursed back to
health. Bobby plots his revenge while Moishe tries to teach him that hate will
destroy him as well as his victims.
The use of
run-on sentences with little punctuation may require some adjustment at the
beginning. It does not impede the reader’s understanding, but reading it
reminded me of reading a student’s initial attempts with the interior monologue
style before he/she is completely comfortable with it.
Bobby has a
limited vocabulary, but that is not surprising in a young teen; the problem is
the author’s limited vocabulary indicated in the exposition. For example,
emotions are always “flowing”: “a sense of gratitude flowing through him”;
“feeling the joy flowing through him”; “affection flowing between them”;
“happiness flowing through mind and body”; “a sense of being lost flowing from
him”; “hatred flowing through and from him”; “a sense of strength and softness
flowing through him and around him”; “love and gratitude flowing through him”;
“a sense of freedom from everything flowing through him”; “a warmth flowing
through him”; “the comfort and peace gently flowing through him”; “love,
compassion and empathy flowing from him.” And then there are the tears that are
flowing so often!
Tiresome
repetition is found in other descriptions as well. For instance, there are 357
references to eyes, and at least 120 of those mention eyes either opening or
closing or blinking. One is to believe that the relationship between Bobby and
Moishe gradually becomes closer, but their relationship is often reduced to
their laughing together and eating ice cream together. Several dozen times it
is mentioned that Moishe and Bobby start laughing uncontrollably. And how many
times must the reader be told that the two enjoy chocolate sauce with their ice
cream?
There is a
definite lack of realism. Moishe lives in a subterranean apartment, which made
me think of the late 1980’s television show Beauty
and the Beast, except that Moishe’s sanctuary has all the amenities. Why a
concentration camp survivor would choose to live in such an environment is
never explained. And Moishe has no friends? Not once in the months Bobby spends
with him does Moishe interact with anyone other than Bobby. He seems to have
limitless funds even though his only job is repairing appliances. Why does an
old man have a rowing machine that he himself never uses?
The theme
of the book, that hatred destroys those who hate, is not one which people will
find objectionable. What I did find objectionable is the development of this
theme. The pace of the book is painfully slow. Actions are repeated over and
over again: each day is spent with Bobby planning his revenge and working out
to get fit; Moishe preparing food and the two talking, Moishe revealing
something about his concentration camp experiences; Bobby taking a tour of his
old neighbourhood while Moishe worries until he returns; the two sharing ice
cream with chocolate sauce before going to bed. All this leads to a predictable
ending.
This was a
disappointing read. Except for the opening, it lacks a plot; because of the
limited diction, it makes for a tiresome read; it lacks realism when it could
offer gritty details about life in the South Bronx; several times it lapses
into melodrama. Give me West Side Story
which addresses some of the same issues more effectively.
Note: I
received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
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