The Tiger’s Wife is unlike any book I’ve read. It’s not a fast paced read, quiet the opposite actually, this novel requires patience and appreciation for writing and folklore. Trying to pin-point what the novel is about is difficult task. On one hand, it’s a story about a young doctor who is reminiscing on her beloved grandfather’s life while trying to understand it as well. On the other hand, it’s about the tiger’s wife and it’s even about a deathless man. But overall, I like to think The Tiger’s Wife is a novel about family and hidden stories that only some are lucky enough to understand. Obreht has done a wonderful job weaving together life stories of the people of a Balkan country. Her talent for story-telling is evident, it’s safe to say there will be many more, anticipated novels by Obreht. And while I was fond of most of the stories in the novel, I found myself skimming more and more towards the end. There’s no real plot, no problem being solved, as I mentioned earlier, it’s a novel that you read slowly to savor the words. Which makes it a hard book to review. The bottom line is, a certain type of a reader will cling to Tea Obreht’s debut, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
