The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

poignant.

vivid.
lacking.

 

The first chapter of this book, highly recommended by a friend, hooked me, narrated by a half-Native American child whose mother dies and is sent to live with his almost aboriginal grandparents in the backwoods of 1930s America. The conflict between mountain-dwelling "pure" Native Americans and "civilized" city-dwellers is apparent within the first few pages, when the grandfather is publicly mocked by a bus driver, but after that, the promising plot dwindles. Yes, the descriptions of the land and country are vivid, and the innocence and docility of the narrator are sweet. But while a series of events that make up the coming of age of a child caught between two clashing civilizations is certainly a great basis, there is nary a plot to be enjoyed and struggled through. The tragedy is that with the writer's undeniable talent, this book could have been great. Instead, it left me wanting.

2 out of 5 stars