Time and the Tree by Róisín Sorahan
Publisher: Adelaide Books, NY (September 6, 2021
Category: Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Fable, and Self-actualization
ISBN: 978-1955196635
Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages
Description
A modern fable about the nature of time and the quest for happiness. It’s darkly funny, deceptively simple, and a necessary read for testing times. In this gripping philosophical tale, a boy awakens beneath a tree in a forest in summer. He is soon joined by Time and his slave, a withered creature hooked on time and aching to disappear. The story evolves over the course of a year as a host of characters are drawn to the Tree for guidance. The unlikely cast grapple with choices and grope towards self-knowledge in a world where compassion is interwoven with menace. As the seasons bring great changes to the forest, we watch the child grow while the trials he faces mount. Then the time for talk and innocence passes as the forces of darkness rally, threatening the lives of his friends. Lyrical, honest and heart-breaking, Time and the Tree confronts readers with a unique perspective on the challenges life presents. A wise and hopeful book, it is uplifting and unsettling by turns.
Guest Book Review by Sal
First, we are introduced to the Boy and then, to the Tree.
Róisín Sorahan’s eclectic and enchanting tale has a truly timeless aura. This is the type of story that will be immediately familiar to anyone who read fairy tales as a child. The forest setting, the child protagonist, the struggle, and the morals that he learns along the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning as all good stories should.
This story begins with a boy waking up in the forest. He is parched from thirst and a wise, old tree tells him where to get a drink of water. The Boy and the Tree quickly become friends and achieve ultimate peace and harmony as they watch the clouds and the Boy sleeps in the Tree’s branches. However, the world soon intrudes.
Of course, any good fairy tale has to have conflict. This fairy tale’s conflict comes in the form of time itself. Not ‘time’ as the inexorable concept, but Time as an actual physical manifestation.
Time is man who wears a brass hat and silk cravat. He has a creature that follows him around who is called Shadow and who he jauntily refers to as his slave. Time is strange, obviously, and Time is manipulative.
But Time is not the last of the travelers that the Boy and the Tree meet. Lots of wanderers happen by the Tree and not all of them are so rude or spiteful. But ultimately, the seasons pass and the Boy must learn many lessons about himself and nature that give the story its moral backbone.
When I tell you this story is magical, I’m understating it. Sorahan tells a tale that seems both familiar and new, and one that would be treasured by any reader. Definitely add ‘Time and a Tree’ to your list if you haven’t already!
About the Author
Róisín Sorahan is an Irish author currently living in Vermont. She has published numerous stories about her adventures on the road, as well as life as an English teacher in China. Prior to becoming a nomad writer, she pursued a decade-long career in public relations. She holds a Master of Letters from Trinity College Dublin, specializing in Samuel Beckett. Time and the Tree is her debut novel.
Website: https://roisinsorahan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roisinsorahan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Roisin.Sorahan.Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roisinsorahan/
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Giveaway
This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies, One for each of 3 winners. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on March 12, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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