As a new virus rages in the world, The Tree Doctor’s unnamed main character is sheltering in her childhood home after returning to California to care for and move her aging and ailing mother into a facility. Her husband and children remain in Hong Kong and while there is hope it will soon be over it is clear she lacks urgency to return to the life she has left behind. In addition to all the sickness that surrounds her, the garden at her parents home shows signs of illness so she seeks assistance from local nursery where she meets “The Tree Doctor.” The garden and The Tale of Gengi, the oldest known female penned novel that she is teaching online, serve as a frame for exploring multiple themes relevant to the lives of women throughout history and in the present day.

For the bulk of the novel we are inside the main character’s head and in her small bubble where her interactions with others are limited but meaningful. This book is a philosophical exploration and rumination that considers many questions related to midlife, motherhood, being a daughter, and probably most importantly women’s experiences as they relate to freedom and agency. What does life look like when we reach a phase where our focus is on memories more than hopes for what we will do. The trees and flowers and the blossoms are very much a metaphor for the “waking up” of the main character's body as she learns more about herself through a deepened understanding of her past and her time with The Tree Doctor.

The blurb and reviews I’ve read mention that the novel is erotic but I will be more explicit and say there is sex, and it is written in a much more concrete and explicit way than I have experienced in most books I read. It is detailed, but also purposeful in the main character’s journey to change her perspective on the role of sex in her life and movement toward greater freedom generally. It helped her be more present in her body and allowed the main character to experience things that she hadn’t before and wonder what else she didn’t know or had missed out on in life. For me it adds to the realistic depiction this novel offers of women’s experiences in midlife.

The more I think about this book the more I appreciate it. I really love the way it explored the complexities and nuances of women’s experience at midlife in a way that was hopeful but realistic. This novel is one that fits my reading tastes perfectly with an introspective main character that has an awakening that helps me think about my own life and experience with a new perspective. A worthwhile read, I would definitely recommend picking this up!

Thank you @graywolfpress @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

Life and death, sex and rebirth, pandemic and fire: "The Tree Doctor" takes on some heavy themes with the same eye towards beauty as its strongest referent, "The Tale of Genji." This book will resonate most with audiences craving an honest look at midlife sexuality and pathfinding, even courage. It's a book that requires patience, but the ending is worth it. In this sense, "The Tree Doctor" is like a plant, allowing us to contemplate on the tougher seasons of life: weathering hardships, biding your time, and blooming -- just when it looks like you’re about to wither.

In this pandemic novel, the unnamed narrator arrives in Carmel, California to care for her mother, leaving her husband and children behind in Hong Kong. In what felt like a nod to The Secret Garden (which contains a cholera epidemic), she becomes obsessed with revitalizing her mother’s garden, specifically the neglected cherry tree. She begins an affair with the arborist who wants to help her revitalize the tree. Some of the symbolism was a on the nose, a sexual awakening amidst the revitalization of a cherry tree, but overall, this was an interesting novel about a woman’s sensuality during a fraught period in her life and the ways in which people can learn new things about themselves given the right circumstances. Thank you to Graywolf Press and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Unfortunately this was not for me. I found that the story lacked flow, which made me struggle to really understand the narrators and her actions. The character development didn't feel organic, and I often found it hard to feel like I knew why these characters were acting the way they did. I had high hopes for this one as I loved the cover, but sadly it just didn't come together for me.