The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Random House; First Edition edition (March 8, 2011)
- ISBN-13: 978-0385343831
What the book is about (back-of-the-book blurb): In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.
What would I say to a friend who asked me about it: Oh, boy … sigh. I feel like I’m in the minority here, but this is one of those books where I just don’t get the hype. The Tiger’s Wife was a finalist for the National Book Award, a NYT bestseller, and selected as a ‘top 10 book of the year’ by dozens of publications and reviewers.
I liked it well enough – the writing is very strong, and the author is INCREDIBLY young (which is impressive!) – 25 when the book was published. In fact, I had first read Obreht’s work in 20 Under 40: Stories from the New Yorker, a collection of, well, 20 young writers (my thoughts, here).
The Tiger’s Wife read more like a collection of linked short stories than a novel, but, it has been forced into a container called “novel,” and it it didn’t work for me. Obreht’s goes off on marvelous tangents to explore characters and defining incidents (whether these are offshoots of true Balkan folk tales, or lore she has completely created, I’m not sure), but the return to the main story is choppy, and not fully integrated.
The novel begins in the early 2000s, as Natalia and a friend (and medical colleague) travel to inoculate children in a remote war-torn village. At a border checkpoint, she uses a pay phone to return a page from her grandmother. Natalia learns that her grandfather has taken ill and died while away from home; ostensibly visiting Natalia! Natalia’s grandmother accuses her of keeping secrets (true), and tells her that her grandfather’s belongings have disappeared from the hospital where the grandfather died.
Natalia continues to keep secrets – not sharing the news of her grandfather’s death with her friend, and scheming to discover not only what he was doing away from home, but also to find his personal belongings, which include that well-loved edition of The Jungle Book. Her quest leads her through a maze of folklore, tradition, and hearsay.
Having just ‘copy and paste’d the book’s synopsis (above), I have to say I’m stymied. I learned the stories of the tiger’s wife as I read the novel, and it never occurred to me that Natalia was also learning them for the first time. I have to decide if I have enough curiosity to look through the book to find the source of the stories; I’m not sure I do.
Why did I read it: I purchased a signed copy of The Tiger’s Wife when it was first published in March 2011, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to read it (this happens often with big ‘buzz’ books – I put them on the shelf until some of the hype has died down). I’m often reading pre-publication galleys, or reading ahead for author events; this summer, I made an effort to read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelves.
What else can I add: Have you read The Tiger’s Wife? If you “got it” more clearly than I did, please leave a link to your review/thoughts. I really admire Obreht’s imagination and the way she crafted the stories-within-the-story. Although this wasn’t a top pick for me, I’ll look forward to reading more of her work.
One of the libraries near here is using this as a “One Read” community book. I don’t know, I was going to pick it up but it just didn’t speak to me. No one I’ve talked to has even liked it either. So I totally know what you mean
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I liked this one but didn’t love it. I just wasn’t my thing I guess.
Sorry I haven’t been around much Dawn, but hope you and yours are having a nice summer.
I’ve seen this book around, but I tend to stay away from books that receive a lot of hype.
A lot of others found this book to be a little convoluted as well, and thought that the stories within the book didn’t integrate themselves well. That is one reason, among many that I don’t want to read this one. We like a lot of the same books, Dawn, and as far as I am concerned, if this one was not a hit with you, it probably wouldn’t be for me either. Very eloquent and thoughtful review today. Though you didn’t like it, you managed to say that with tact and grace.
Thank goodness you felt this way. I thought it was just me. We read it for my book club and only three people managed to even show up. I was so embarrassed by my reaction that I never even reviewed it. Still sitting in my TBR (To Be Reviewed) pile of books.
I responded more to the fable-like portions of the story. Natalia as a main character did not speak to me, I found her story to be the weakest part of the book. My review is here:
http://bookchickdi.blogspot.com/2012/04/tigers-wife-by-tea-obreht.html
I’ve read quite a few reviews that felt the same way. I bought an autographed copy too, but this might sink down pretty low in my TBR pile.
No I don’t think you are in the minority based on what I have read. Yes it did get hype, but many just didn’t get it. I’ve held off for that very reason…often I don’t get the hyped books either.
I think a lot of books get hype more because of the publishers pushing them than because they are truly extraordinary. And then people feed into that. I felt that way about The Night Circus, though like you, I am in the minority for that one! This one sounds like it’s maybe not the best, but that the author is one to watch.
I didn’t care for it either. I liked the fables in the novel but overall I just did not like it. She is definitely a talented author but I don’t think I’d read her again.
I keep passing this one up. It has come up as a contender for one of my book clubs at least three times, yet I still haven’t read it. Dawn, I truly appreciate your honesty on this one, and I’m sure you’re not alone. (like Julie)
I am so happy to hear that someone felt the same way about this book as I did. I felt that it would have worked better as short stories, but it didn’t work as a novel. I couldn’t even finish reading the book; that is how annoyed I was by all of the tangents. The writing is strong and I admire her imagination, but it just wasn’t working for me. The funniest and most memorable part of the book was about the man who wouldn’t die.
I agree with all the comments. There were many interesting stories here but it did not make a cohesive novel.
This is one of those books that I felt like I SHOULD read (for all the reasons you mentioned) but every time I see the description, I just can’t work up the enthusiasm for it. I think I’ll listen to you and take a pass.
I’ve read so many reviews like yours that say it seems like linked short stories. I can’t help but disagree. I thought it connected completely and wonderfully. I did take a really long time reading it though so I had time to pick up every little tiny piece of the book, but I just loved it. It was worth all the hype to me. I love that we can have different opinions as readers though and everyone can get something different from a book.
While I was reading this, people would see Obreht’s face on the back cover and say, “How old is she, like thirteen?” She is so young, and my coworkers thought she was even younger.