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A Maple Tree in Dagestan
When a Canadian reporter goes on a mission to one of the most dangerous reaches of the globe, he expects to find the answers to all of the questions brought up in the aftermath of the Boston
Marathon Bombings. Instead he faces the impossibility of answering complex political questions in black-and-white print, and the more alluring question of how a Canadian Maple tree came to grow in an open field of the Dagestani foothills. Wrestling to balance his job with his life back home, he must decide how far his journalistic curiosity can take him before violence, intrigue or even love might carry him past a point of no return.
Marathon Bombings. Instead he faces the impossibility of answering complex political questions in black-and-white print, and the more alluring question of how a Canadian Maple tree came to grow in an open field of the Dagestani foothills. Wrestling to balance his job with his life back home, he must decide how far his journalistic curiosity can take him before violence, intrigue or even love might carry him past a point of no return.
172 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2017
A pretty well-done literary novel with some of the tropes of the genre: a leisurely pace, a kind of continual understated tone that makes you search for profundity, and a bit of a hipsterish vibe.
The story - a reporter experiencing a new culture and falling in love during his stay in Dagestan - was mostly a foil for very literary, 'let's find the narrative and context and feel' conversations about politics and philosophy. Still, the plot moved forward enough to keep me reading, and the ending wasn't the depressing anti-resolution I has half expecting from the tone of the book.
The message - that life is more complicated than black and white, that we all have different equally valid perspectives, that Westerners oversimplify and miss out on cultures that have their own beauty and majesty far beyond what most people experience - was well presented, with enough subtlety to avoid sounding like an essay, but not so obscure that I missed the point entirely. It had a kind of post-modern vagueness to it, though, like there was something very deep that could only be understood or explained in glimpses out of the corner of your eye. I ended up feeling that the book was giving more of an impression of depth than any specific insight.
All in all, this was a fairly enjoyable, quiet fireside read that gets the brain-wheels turning a little bit.
A few quotes I especially liked:
"And here I thought you were just an incredibly interesting person. Now I see you for what you really are; literate."
"a well balanced person can learn to love a thousand people, and a great person could love anyone."
The story - a reporter experiencing a new culture and falling in love during his stay in Dagestan - was mostly a foil for very literary, 'let's find the narrative and context and feel' conversations about politics and philosophy. Still, the plot moved forward enough to keep me reading, and the ending wasn't the depressing anti-resolution I has half expecting from the tone of the book.
The message - that life is more complicated than black and white, that we all have different equally valid perspectives, that Westerners oversimplify and miss out on cultures that have their own beauty and majesty far beyond what most people experience - was well presented, with enough subtlety to avoid sounding like an essay, but not so obscure that I missed the point entirely. It had a kind of post-modern vagueness to it, though, like there was something very deep that could only be understood or explained in glimpses out of the corner of your eye. I ended up feeling that the book was giving more of an impression of depth than any specific insight.
All in all, this was a fairly enjoyable, quiet fireside read that gets the brain-wheels turning a little bit.
A few quotes I especially liked:
"And here I thought you were just an incredibly interesting person. Now I see you for what you really are; literate."
"a well balanced person can learn to love a thousand people, and a great person could love anyone."
November 4, 2016
I really enjoyed this book from the moment I picked it up to the time I finished it. You know a book is good when you read it in its entirety at a rapid pace, and are left wondering 'what happens next?' This was definitely one of those books for me. Even though it is a slightly short book, it is filled with a lot of adventure, humour, intellectual commentary on life not only outside of western culture but within as well, and many other layers to it that really brings the reader into the setting of Dagestan. A real life place no one has probably ever heard of, but the author truly brings it to life in this book and can take you there with his well thought out and beautiful descriptions. If you are looking for a quick, but definitely enjoyable read, than I suggest reading A Maple Tree in Dagestan. [Also, it was written [and won] during NaNoWrimo so I mean...that is wonderful inspiration for any aspiring author! Like me.]
September 2, 2020
In an ideal world, integrity and love are in harmony, but when they are not, integrity has to prevail to save our souls.
The opening pages are a little heavy, like pulling a toboggan up a hill - and then - one cannot stop reading. The suspense, love, and intellectual gems are numerous and incite the imagination. The lessons learned make a permanent impact, including the theme of integrity.
The book actually deserves to be a movie, except some scenes are not very modest for my taste (and for that reason there is very few movies I can actually see, or have to blank out sections).
We can look up to a Maple Tree as a great example of strength and goodness - as we try to plant good seeds in this life. May God reward the give blessings and peace to the writer and his family.
The opening pages are a little heavy, like pulling a toboggan up a hill - and then - one cannot stop reading. The suspense, love, and intellectual gems are numerous and incite the imagination. The lessons learned make a permanent impact, including the theme of integrity.
The book actually deserves to be a movie, except some scenes are not very modest for my taste (and for that reason there is very few movies I can actually see, or have to blank out sections).
We can look up to a Maple Tree as a great example of strength and goodness - as we try to plant good seeds in this life. May God reward the give blessings and peace to the writer and his family.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews