In A Temple Of Trees

by Suzanne Hudson

Years after witnessing a murder at an exclusive hunting camp in the west Alabama woods as a young African-American orphan, Cecil Durgin is still haunted by the secret and becomes embroiled in an unstoppable chain of events that links the past and present. A first novel. Reprint.

354 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2003

About the author

Suzanne Hudson is the author of two literary novels, In a Temple of Trees and In the Dark of the Moon. Her short fiction has been anthologized in almost a dozen books, including Stories from the Blue Moon Café and The Shoe Burnin’: Stories of Southern Soul. Her short story collection Opposable Thumbs was a finalist for a John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Her latest work of short stories, All the Way to Memphis, brings characters from the South to life in a way any reader will know and love. She lives with her husband, author Joe Formichella, near Fairhope, Alabama.

Reviews

[Dayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are about a dozen books out there that I wish I had written. The Stranger by Albert Camus, William Gay's The Long Home, Larry Brown's Facing the Music, Tom Franklin's Poachers, among others. All of Cormac McCarthy's alien fiction-alien in that a flesh and bone man could not have written it. Flannery O'Connor, Lewis Nordan, Katherine Anne Porter, Tobias Wolff, Rick Bragg, Harry Crews, Raymond Carver, Tim Gautreaux, are other writers that I envy. I wish I had been the person writing the first draft of a number of good books.

But now I have one more author, one more prose artist to wish I had breathed her words into being. Before her, the words were not. Because of her, the words are. That simple. That amazing. In a Temple of Trees is one of the kindest and harshest of novels I've ever read. It is a triple shot of justice, faith, and violence. Its pages shook me when I read them.

What bothers me the most-and I have a feeling that you will hear more about this-is that an awful lot of the story is utterly true to actual events, the murder of a young mother of a brood of kids.
Incredible reading. I highly recommend this novel and Suzanne Hudson's other work, Opposable Thumbs, as well.

--Dayne Sherman, author of Welcome to the Fallen Paradise: A Novel and Zion: A Novel (coming soon)

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very vulgar, but has a good message. Secrets keep us sick. Many parts of this story made me cringe, especially the illustrative descriptions of terrible sex acts and beatings. Worth reading if you don't have a problem with lots of profanity and lots of uncomfortable scenes of prostitution, racial hate, and pure ignorance.

[Gail Mchugh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book because I could not seem to like any of the characters. I found I could not empathize with or have any feeling but contempt for any of these people. The leading characters were despicable. The protagonist was not much better. Sorry!!

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happened to Honey???

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this, though it was often tough to read. I really hope she has other books to read!

[Melissa Delbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Southern Gothic work EVAH!