Review: The Almond Tree

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Almond Tree
by Michelle Cohen Corasanti
Pages: 348
Published by Garnet Publishing
Publication Date September 30th 2012
Source: Author
Genres: General Fiction
Goodreads

Gifted with a brilliant mind that has made a deep impression on the elders of his Palestinian village, Ahmed Hamid is nevertheless tormented by his inability to save his friends and family. Living under occupation, the inhabitants of the village harbour a constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, belongings – and each other.

On Ahmed’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality.

With his father now imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ahmed embarks on a journey to liberate his loved ones from their hardship, using his prodigious intellect. In so doing, he begins to reclaim a love for others that had been lost over the course of a childhood rife with violence, and discovers new hope for the future.

Recently, my dad asked what I was reading and I replied “The Almond Tree”.  His response was “That sounds boring”.  He could not be farther from the truth.  You should never judge a book by its title.

From the start, it is made clear that The Almond Tree is a dark, heartbreaking story of adversity, race  and being able to rise above it all.

The Almond Tree, strangely enough, reminds me of Life of Pi minus the animals and the raft.  Huh, you may ask, where is the comparison?  I find the lead characters, Pi and Ichmad to be of the same mold and fictional or no are someone to look up to.  Thus, when he befalls hard times a bit of the reader in me died.

In all honesty, The Almond Tree made me sad.  Although I could not stop reading, longing to hear Ichmad’s story, rooting for him all the way, and just when I thought there was a speck of light at the end of the tunnel, BAM, his brother is gravely injured or BAM his wife is killed.  Seriously?  Talk about kicking a dog when it’s down.  What added insult to injury (for me) was the fact that he always put others before himself, living in a borderline dump while studying in the U.S. in order to send money home to his family and agreeing to an arranged marriage because he knows it would make them happy.  Aww, where can I find one of those?

I wish I could say The Almond Tree had a happy ending, but I found it bittersweet.  Ichmad becomes successful and happy in his marriage.  As for his brother, I wish I could say the same.  Crippled and bitter after his accident he has gone underground only to resurface years later in Gaza.  The descriptions of the environment there had my eyes wide open and shocked beyond words.  The devastation that can only end in heartbreak.  The Almond Tree reminds you that the world is not a perfect place and stays with you long after the last page has been turned.