My grandfather never refers to the tiger’s wife by name. His arm is around me and my feet are on the handrail, and my grandfather might say, “I once knew a girl who loved tigers so much she almost became one herself.” Because I am so little, and my love of tigers comes directly from him, I believe he is talking about me, offering me a fairy tale in which I can imagine myself–and will, for years and years. Natalia, Page 4
Plot:
The Tiger’s Wife depicts the relationship between Natalia, a young medical professional living in a country in the Balkans, and her grandfather, a celebrated doctor who has recently passed away. The novel begins with a memory of Natalia and her grandfather visiting the city zoo to see the tigers–a routine of theirs in Natalia’s childhood. From there, the novel shifts closer to the present day: the adult Natalia and a friend of hers, Zora, are on their way to the town of Brejevina, where they will administer medicine to the orphans in a local monastery. During the trip, Natalia learns of her grandfather’s death. A lot of conflicts arise during Natalia’s time in Brejevina. She encounters a group of relatives, who are trying to locate the remains of a long-buried cousin and whose children are unwell; she also travels to a small town, Zdrevkov, to retrieve her deceased grandfather’s belongings. However, large portions of the narrative are structured as memories of Natalia’s childhood and adolescence, which were shaped by the chaos and warfare that her generation as a whole encountered. She also relays a large amount of information about her grandfather and about two mysterious figures that shaped his life, the Deathless Man and the Tiger’s Wife.
Thoughts:
If you are a reader that likes a novel that jumps around from one place to a hundred more, than this is a novel that you will love and be drawn right into. However I cannot stand novels like these because it makes me have to constantly come back to the previous pages I have been reading to figure out what is going on , on the page I am currently on. Don’t get me wrong I like to be given a challenge from an author, but this particular book proposes a challenge, that is to time consuming that it takes away from my reading of the book itself. I did like how the book went back in time to create a character that is dead when the reader is introduced to him, so the reader can understand him and why he is so important to the narrator, and that there is a sense of mystery around him and his past life. Overall this book to me was okay, but it was not a book that I wanted to read when I found myself having the time to read. I found myself struggling to read it and to finish it just to see if it would get any better, or if I would eventually figure it out once ending the book.
Check this book out and see if you agree with my thoughts and as always please leave me a comment!