Review: The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

Nate and Irene Stanley and their two children, Shep and Bliss, move from Illinois to Oregon supposedly for a better work situation for Nate. One day Nate comes home to find their 15 year old son, Shep, gasping his last breath with a bullet wound in his chest. The house is trashed and some valuable items are missing. The general conclusion is Shep interrupted a random robbery. After several weeks, the killer is caught, tried and eventually sent to prison. The story follows the Stanley family and how they cope with the aftermath of such a heartbreaking tragedy.

For a long time after the murder, Irene spirals down into an abyss of depression, finding it increasingly difficult to claw her way out. She has a hard time even dealing with everyday needs and the family dynamics seriously erode. Irene begins to use vodka as a crutch just to get through the day leaving Bliss and Nate to their own devices. Irene's intense hatred of Shep's killer was slowly killing her. She lived for the day he would be executed.

But the wheels of justice grind slowly and after years of feeling half dead herself, on what would be Shep's 27th birthday, Irene has an emotional epiphany. She decides she cannot hold onto the hate any longer. Unbeknownst to her family, she writes a letter to the killer forgiving him and setting off a chain reaction that no one could have ever imagined. When Nate finds out about the years of correspondence, he goes ballistic and he reveals some shocking truths about their son and what really happened on that fateful day. Irene is now determined on a whole new course of action.

This is just the bare bones of the plot. Let me say right off, I could not put this book down. The numerous twists and turns in plot and depth of the characters make this a stellar read. It is so incredibly well written and flows seamlessly from numerous points of view. Every character's thoughts and emotions are perfectly executed. The raw emotion in this book will grab you by the heart and not let go. I think this is one of the best books I have read this year. Highly recommended. 5*****