The Tiger's Wife: A Novel (original 2011; edition 2011)

Boring and confusing. ( )

Didn't live up to the hype for me. In fact, as I was listening to it in my car I kept wondering how long it would take to get to the end. The story follows a family in the Balkans. The daughter, Natalia is medic who learns about the sudden mysterious death of her grandfather--who died alone and in a city the family never knew him to visit. As she goes to pick up his things she tries to make sense of his life and death--by recalling childhood memories and stories that he told her about the "deathless man". This eventually leads her to the story of the Tiger's wife, which took place in the village where her grandfather grew up. The stories, while they could be fascinating, were told in a style that didn't hold my interest and the overall story seemed disjointed. I couldn't quite understand what the point of it all was. This book garnered a lot of praise from reviewers and critics, if you enjoy a book with a lot of flowery language and deep metaphors and symbolism you might want to give it a try. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. ( )

I'm always interested in why books are named as they are-- the Tiger's wife is only one character whose backstory is elaborated here. Lives that start badly are explained, which should give you sympathy for the choices made later. ( )

There is a mesmerizing quality to the storytelling in this novel, as if you were witnessing first hand the creation of new fairy tales, or myths. I don't know if these tales are new to me because I am not familiar with Slavic folklore. The series of episodes in the book alternate between long ago and the recent past of the war torn Balkan states. The narrator, like the subject of the story, her grandfather, is a doctor, on a mission to help orphans get inoculated. In the process, she recounts stories told to her by her grandfather of the deathless man and the tiger's wife. I love the talismanic nature of The Jungle Book that features throughout the tales. What an impressive debut by Tea Obreht. ( )

I finally got around to reading this book after a) having heard so much about it and b) having it sitting on my shelf for a few months, waiting for me to read it. To be honest, I'm not sure what to think of it. It's an impressive debut and Obreht paints such a lyrical but brutal description of the setting. I highly enjoyed the segments concerning the deathless man; I thought those stories were top notch, both in the dialogue and the themes that it presented. However, I thought the characterisations were disappointing; none of the characters evoked my sympathy, which made it difficult for me to really connect to the story.

You could read by full review/thoughts on the novel over at my blog (may contain some spoilers!): http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=4371 ( )

This was enjoyable but for some reason it didn't touch my heart. Is there such a thing as paint-by-the-numbers war zone magic realism? I'm not surprised people liked it as much as they did, but by how popular it was considering how difficult and intentionally obfuscating the narrative was.

Robin Sachs is great as the voice of the grandfather.

My favorite line, "Don't be so fucking provincial!"

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So, she's very talented, this Tea Obreht person. Very elegant, spare, mature style that I appreciate. That said, this book was just not for me. I tried and I tried for about 100 pages, but I just couldn't get into the story. For me, character and emotion are everything, and I couldn't get a handle on either. I think her characters were purposely lacking emotion, as they supposed to be in a kind of shell-shocked mental state following years of unrest and civil war in their Balkan country. But I found that days passed and I hadn't really picked up the book, so it was a sign for me to move on...
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Ms. Obreht has created a tale of where myth and reality collide here, with the reader constantly wondering where the supernatural elements fit within the larger context of a story about war-torn Eastern Europe. This theme fittingly begins in the prologue, with the narrator explaining how her grandfather once told her about a woman who loved tigers so much she became one contrasted against an actual tiger attack she witnessed at a zoo. While I enjoyed some of the myth telling of the novel (man becoming bear, the deathless man, a woman who befriends a tiger) I think I found myself somewhat distracted and jarred by this dichotomy. The narrator, Natalia, is a doctor and a woman who doesn't appear to be the least bit superstitious, and neither does her grandfather, a supremely respected doctor. But at the same time, the grandfather is a man who believes in a man who is quite literally deathless, having put the man to the test many years prior early in his medical career. If I were the grandfather, I think I would find these two qualities irreconcilable, and I was troubled by this throughout the novel. I could not tell if the deathless man was intended to be the truth or merely a fable; while I would have no trouble with either result, I somewhat wished this were resolved. The novel's pace also dragged for me a bit at times, and then ended in abrupt fashion.

All that being said, Ms. Obreht's characters are wonderful and full of vitality. The grandfather in particular as he explains his various encounters with the deathless man was someone who stood out for me as multi-layered and entertaining. And I also enjoyed some of the insight the novel had on what must seems to be the endlessness of conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The toll that such wars must take on not only an individual's psyche but a culture as a whole is beautifully explored. And the storytelling is incredibly detailed, whether it be the backstory of the apothecary or Darisa the Bear. Overall, an enjoyable and complex read. ( )

I was impressed with the powerful writing in this book, and by the originality of the central images: the deathless man and the Tiger's wife. There were some structural problems. The main character never comes into her own, nor does she vanish as 'Gatsby'-style narrators should. The problem was that it was not her story and that left the episodes with her present day concerns very uninteresting. Good sentences and 3/4 of a good structure. I was happy to read something that at least approaches literature, as it's been awhile. And if half of what she says about the former Yugoslavia is accurate, it's hard to believe that these medieval, lethally superstitious people exist in modern times. ( )

Beautiful. What an amazing writer and storyteller. ( )

"With The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht has crafted a brilliant story of stories wrapped up in an engrossing fluid prose. The book is a fantastic read and I could not help but fall in love with it. I was lured in, trapped, and found it impossible to escape. Obreht is an impressive and talented young author and I very much look forward to seeing how where her writing goes from here. I cannot recommend The Tiger’s Wife highly enough."

http://epbth.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/the-tigers-wife-tea-obreht/ ( )

Powerful and gripping tale. I can't wait to see what Tea Obreht writes next. ( )

This is an amazing book. Reminds me a bit of early Rushdie, mixing folk tale and myth with current narrative. The story wanders a bit through landscapes and events, but I was so fascinated I was willing to follow along. Really hard to believe the author is so young... highly recommended. ( )

I'm not even sure where to go with this one. I have had it on my TBR shelf as it has been listed as a monthly read in so many groups. However, it seemed to take forever to get through.

The story takes place in the Balkans, in which civil warhas left that region very much in need. Natalia works as a doctor and is out to help children get the medical support they require at the same time that she is dealing with the death of her grandfather, with whom she was very close.

The storyline jets from present time, to a time when her granfather told her stories about his childhood (with the Tiger's Wife), to his connections to the Deathless Man. I had a hard time with the connections of the stories, although the storyline with the Deathless Man was my favorite - I found those parts most intriguing.

The writing style is actually quite strong. The descriptors are fantastically detailed, and the reader can most definitely get a visual of what is going on. The storyline, however, just seemed lost on me. Chalk this one up to a "read if you have nothing else to read" in my opinion. ( )

I wanted to like this book more. I think Obreht is a fine writer who is one day going to write a book that blows me away, but this wasn't the one.

The book concerns a young woman, Natalia, and her grandfather, both of whom are doctors. It's set in an unnamed war-torn Balkan country. The grandfather has died under somewhat mysterious circumstances and Natalia must take a side trip from vaccinating orphans to collect his things. In so doing, she reflects on the stories he has told her about the Deathless Man and The Tiger's Wife. These stories connect to one another in different ways, not just because of the involvement of the grandfather. But you'll have to give the book a close reading to see just how, because Obreht leaves many plot points ambiguous.

That's my problem with this book. I like books with unreliable narrators which contain an ambiguity for the reader to puzzle out. [bc:The Sense of an Ending|10746542|The Sense of an Ending|Julian Barnes|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311704453s/10746542.jpg|15657664] is a brilliant case in point. But in this book, the ambiguities pile up. There are many occurrences and relationships left open, to the point where you wonder why. None of these open questions seem important or central to the theme of the book, because the reader's wondering mind is diffused over too many questions. As a result, none of these questions seems key.

Conversely, the are a few relatively minor characters introduced in the middle of the book who have sections in which their histories are related in detail. Why? These sections seemed like filler. Why was so much information regarding these characters being dumped on us? It made no sense to me.

I'd have preferred a shorter book called "The Deathless Man". Because the encounters between the grandfather and the man who was forbidden to die were enthralling in an existential way. Maybe the book would have been more pointed; would have had more of a wholeness, if the subject matter were more limited.

This book is a first novel by a young writer. A very talented writer, who I hope gets better. ( )

This was an enchanting novel set in what seems like Yugoslavia and between and during wars. I found everything about this novel enjoyable, so much so that I've let this book take much longer to read than usual. I simply did not want this novel to end. Obreht's writing is narrative heavy and feels like a campfire tale in some ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the bits about the deathless man and the epic nature of the "tiger's wife." I highly recommend this literary novel which will keep you putting it down only to savor the story for one more day. ( )

This book blew my mind, especially when I learned that Obreht had not actually lived through or experienced life in the war-torn Balkans. It really reminds me of these quotes about truth in fiction:
“A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”
― Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

“And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen.”
― Tim O'Brien
Her voice is achingly lyrical, and weaves a dreamlike sort of reality that feels more authentic than an actual history or biography would. She pulls together the narrative beautifully, drawing all the different allegorical threads together to paint a delicate portrait of grief and strength and love and family.

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Read from December 12 to 24, 2011

This is not a bad book, but I certainly don't feel it's one of the best books I've read in 2011. Halfway through the only thing I had really picked up on is that I wanted a parrot that recites poetry. And up to about 180 pages in, I had no idea what was going on. Part of that is because all of the descriptions talk about the Balkans and wars and all of these things that are real, but the book never provides that information. It's just "The City", "the war", "the zoo". Had the back of the book not given my a place to attempt to uncover, I would have been fine. But instead I wasted time trying to figure out where the book was taking place. This leads me to think that I either need a book to give me a clear location or a REALLY vague location.

As much as everyone says this book is so beautiful, I've yet to be so moved as to snap a photo of a page or underline a quote. So this girl's grandfather told stories and they turned out to be true...OK? It's a good book, I don't hate it. In fact, as soon as I gave up trying to understand what the war was and trying to place the book in a specific time and place, I ended up starting start to it enjoy it. However, that took about 200 pages.

Over this past year, I've really learned what my reading tastes are...I like to feel what the characters are feeling...and I like to cry. I LIKE books that make me want to read through the night. This wasn't one of those books, but it was a solid read. If I had given up 50 pages in, this would have been a single star read and if I rated it just on the last 100 pages, it would have been 5 stars. Therefore, this one is three very solid stars. ( )

I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I did. I found parts of the story really compelling but then was slogging through most of the book. I always get excited to read stories authors have to tell. With this novel, I was a good one-third of the way through before I established the purpose of this particular story. Up until that point it felt very loose and disconnected - without purpose. I wondered about the editing as there were many, many occasions when words would repeat within a couple or even the same sentence.

"It was the final collapse, years after it had first begun, and it had finally reached us." (page 212)

I had not read any reviews for this book, prior to my reading of it - something I tend to do, generally - but I was aware of the commotion over Obreht - a first-time novelist at the age of only 26. I think she is an interesting writer with a lot of potential and I would try her again.

I recently re-read Galore, by Michael Crummey. It is, perhaps, my most favourite contemporary novel. It has moments of magical realism and wonder - as in The Tiger's Wife - but Crummey entices the reader in a style much more elegant. ( )

So far = WOW!

I really enjoyed this one. It's more a series of interconnected stories. Very well written. I read this as a NetGalley ebook. ( )

Free verse poetry in the guise of a novel ( )

In the aftermath of her grandfather Leandro’s death, Natalia seeks to understand what made him tick – and unearths the truth of two of the most important relationships of his life: his boyhood love for the tiger’s wife, and his brief encounters with the deathless man. Meanwhile, we follow Natalia’s movements at the time of Leandro’s death as she travels to a seaside orphanage to deliver vaccines to needy children.

The story of the tiger’s wife takes place in Leandro’s childhood, during World War II. A tiger escapes from the city zoo in the aftermath of severe bombing and makes its way north, eventually arriving at the tiny country village where Leandro grew up. A deaf-mute girl married to the town butcher feeds it from her husband’s stores. Eventually she is caught when young Leandro spies on her nightly feeding, tarries too long, and his frightened caretaker rouses the village. Forever after, Leandro is in love with the deaf-mute girl and fascinated by the tiger whose fur he briefly touched. The villagers take a different point of view, and organize a hunting party. The deaf-mute girl has tolerated her husband’s savage beatings, but when he returns safe and sound (and unsuccessful) from the tiger hunt, she has had enough. She kills him, and continues to care for the tiger; soon everyone in the village is calling her the tiger’s wife.

The superstitious locals believe the tiger is a devil and when the tiger’s wife turns out to be pregnant, everyone jumps to the conclusion that she is carrying the devil’s baby. Everyone but Leandro ostracizes her. Eventually a famous hunter arrives in town, and the villagers encourage him to kill the tiger-devil lurking in the wilderness. But the tiger’s wife protects her charge. When the hunter finally finds the tiger by following the tiger’s wife as she sneaks out to feed him, Leandro smashes the hunter’s head with a rock before he can shoot.

When the hunter returns to consciousness, he doesn’t remember Leandro – he only remembers the tiger, and the tiger’s wife. The local apothecary thinks the tiger’s wife is dangerous, having killed or injured two men, and decides to take matters into his own hands. He poisons the tiger’s wife with arsenic, which he presents as medicine for the baby she carries. Leandro is by the tiger wife’s side as she dies, and his helplessness inspires his ambition to become a doctor

The story of the deathless man, Gavran Gailé, is much shorter. As a practicing doctor, Leandro meets Gavran Gailé three separate times. At first he thinks Gavran is delusional; but the deathless man is happy to prove that his curse is real. Gavran survives two bullets to the head, and then spends an entire night underwater to show Leandro that in a war-torn country brimming with death, he cannot die. In the deathless man, Leandro – a hyper-rational, modern medical doctor – confronts the impossible, and he is obsessed by it. As his own inevitable end approaches, Leandro’s obsession transforms into attempts to prolong his own life as much as possible.

Natalia believes that her grandfather sought out the deathless man for a fourth meeting on the eve of his death, and she wants to find Gavran Gailé to find out what happened between them. She is not successful.

THE TIGER’S WIFE is set in the former Yugoslavia, but place names are deliberately obscured or omitted. We can guess that Natalia is from Sarajevo, and that she takes her vaccines across the Croatian border, but the author never tells us so. War is a constant presence in the book, always looming in the background and exerting a subtle pressure on the characters. Obreht has a richly descriptive style (she describes the tiger feeding on carrion and relishing “the dense, watery taste of the bloated dead”) and lards the manuscript with imaginative details: the peculiar way a pair of glasses slip off a teacher’s nose, the unique way a roadside burger-slinger flips his meat, the poor plumbing in a village home. She lets one story lead off into the next, and the next after that, capturing something of the human condition while letting the pace of her story slow to a crawl.

I was frustrated by the fact that the story of the tiger’s wife, and the story of the deathless man, never connected in any obvious way. Furthermore, these two stories from Leandro’s past are also separate from the story of Natalia’s visit to the orphanage. While there is a moment when Natalia thinks she has found the deathless man, she is wrong. Natalia, as the narrator, tells the reader that it wasn’t until years after her grandfather’s death that she pieced together the story of the tiger’s wife, so her side-trip to the orphanage doesn’t constitute a putative present time. While each of the three main narrative threads in the novel is interesting, they remain separate. I also never had the impression that Natalia was personally changed by the discoveries she made about her grandfather.

There are many people who would love this book for its excellent writing and rich detail. Personally, I would have liked a more solid core of ideas to take away from it. ( )

Simply gorgeous. Sentences like jade miniatures on an elaborated filigree of pure silver. This is a supremely, extraordinarily talented woman; and the prologue to this novel is as well-crafted as any short story I've ever read. I'm envious, I'm infatuated, I've been transported.

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The Tiger's Wife takes place partly with Natalia, in the present, and partly - through his stories - with her grandfather, in the past. Unusually, both stories are equally compelling, though the grandfather's tale is infused with an element of magical realism (or perhaps, that gray area between folktale and magical realism). The author, born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia (currently Serbia), does not bother to provide tactical details about the war(s); war belongs more firmly to the setting/atmosphere than the plot. Nevertheless, I wish I had more background on the various Balkan conflicts; even a map and/or timeline on the flyleaf would have helped. However, it is not necessary to the beautifully written story.


But now, in the country's last hour, it was clear to him, as it was to me, that the cease-fire had provided the delusion of normalcy, but never peace. When your fight has purpose - to free you from something, to interfere on the behalf of an innocent - it has a hope of finality. When the fight is about unraveling - when it is about your name, the places to which your blood is anchored, the attachment of your name to some landmark or event - there is nothing but hate, and the long, slow progression of people who feed on it and are fed on it, meticulously, by the ones who come before them. Then the fight is endless, and comes in waves and waves, but always retains its capacity to surprise those who hope against it. (283)

"Suddenness," [the deathless man] says. "You do not prepare, you do not explain, you do not apologize. Suddenly, you go. And with you, you take all contemplation, all consideration of your own departure. All the suffering that would have come from knowing comes after you are gone, and you are not a part of it." (301) ( )