The Language of Trees

Though he hasn’t been back here in five years, he can still tell time by the color of water, which changes from rose at dawn, to dark gray-green in the afternoon, to a rusty gold patina in the evening…the lake is still in motion.  Its restlessness has always calmed him.  He looks out at the trees, the way they seem to be pulling the dew across the uncut grass.  Felled branches crisscross the lawn. The scent of destruction that tore through them last night is still in the air.  The oaks are breathless. (pgs 9-10)

In The Language of Trees, Ilie Ruby writes about what happens when two people come back home to face the past.  Echo O’Connell, orphaned at a young age, comes home to take care of the uncle who raised her.  Grant Shongo, son of the local doctor, comes home after his wife divorces him.  Home is Canandaigua Lake and Grant and Echo were high school sweethearts.  Throw in a mystery of a missing young mother, the sister of a boy who drowned in the lake many years before, and you have a compelling debut novel.  Ruby, a painter and short story author sets the novel in her childhood summer home in upstate New York.

In interviews, Ruby discusses the important role a sense of plays has in the story and that sense definitely comes through to the reader.  Nature and setting are very much characters in this novel from the trees, to the play of light on the water to the lay of the land – the lake, the houses, the mountains and hills.  Ruby also uses the history of the region to push the story forward particularly how the Seneca Indians modeled their lives to fit within the landscape.  All of which the author incorporates into the story using descriptive, “painterly” language.

In the midst of the setting, Ruby explores how people protect themselves from hurt and loss, what people hold inside of themselves and what they struggle to let go of. She also explores the role that secrets play in our lives and how them impact us as individuals as well as the relationships we have with other people, and with place itself. My book-group enjoyed this book, even the mystical aspects that Ruby brings into the story through dreams and other occurrences. While we had many questions about why Ruby made some of the choices she made, just going over those questions made for an interesting discussion.

I felt the book was a little over worked and needed some resting along with all the kneading.  So, much like a pie, the overall pie was good but the crust could have been a little better.  I think the novel could have been a little more refined and perhaps we would not have questions why she had this character doing this or why she didn’t play this character up more and this one less.  However, this debut novel is well worth reading.

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