“To immigrants and exiles everywhere, the uprooted, the re-rooted, the rootless, And to the trees we left behind, rooted in our memories…"
William Shakespeare
An intriguing book, where on of the protagonists is an fig tree, a cutting transplanted to London. Through various plot lines, a Romeo and Juliet love story, the fig tree at a taverna, the daughter of a Turkish Cypriot (Defne) and Greek Cypriot (Kostas) in London - the effects of war, division and religion intolerance, political opposition and prohibited sexual partnerships. The narrative flits back and forth between 1974 when Kostas and Defne were secretly dating, knowing their families would not approve of their relationship and 2010 a year after Defne's death, her daughter Ada, and the fig tree, and Kostas, who has retreated from life immersing himself in his academic life - ecology and biology. The fig tree serves as a metaphor and a narrative conceit weaving it's leaves, roots and story to link the two eras.
The writing is lyrical and profound in places, but it takes time to get into the story. The book generated a good discussion about war, place and displacement from your roots.
Words used to describe it: tangential, intriguing, contentious, evocative
Marks out of 10: between 6 - 7
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A Sting in the Tail by David Goulson
