Anita Rau Badami is a South Asian writer living in Canada, whose previous novels of Indians living in the west (Tamarind Mem and The Hero's Walk) were highly praised. Tell It To The Trees is a story of powerful secrets and complex cultural differences a family faces in a sleepy mountain town in northern British Columbia, Canada.
It is told in alternating chapters from difference characters in the family. Varsha is a thirteen year-old girl whose birth mother has left the family years ago. She was beautiful and free and couldn't be held down by her authoritative husband Vikram, who takes his frustration out on the children. Vasha slowly learns his ways of control. Hemant is her little brother, born to Vikram's second wife Suman whom he found back home in India and returned with to Canada. It is not a love match - Suman is there to maintain the house and look after the children. She is virtually trapped on their property outside town, with no money of her own, and a passport that has been hidden away to prevent her from leaving. Afraid and docile, she spends her days cleaning and looking after Vikram's mother Akka, a far cry from the promising new life she dreamt of back in India. Akka knows how Vikram mistreats his family, but does nothing except say how he has a demon in his blood.
For extra money, Vikram rents out the 'back house', and Anu enters the picture. A financial planner, she has taken time off to write in solitude. She soon sees the dynamic of the family, where Vikram rules with his belt and Suman and the children dote on him lest his anger rise. Anu befriends Suman and slowly tries to help them reveal hidden secrets within the family, whose chief goal is to maintain the outward appearance perfection and a good family name.
With no outside friends or family, Varsha and Hem rely on each other - their only outlet is to tell their secrets to a large tree at the back of the house, which Varsha slowly begins to use as control over her little brother. Suman has no support and is also easily dominated by Varsha. The arrival of Anu opens new possibilities they are not yet ready to accept, making them more determined to resist change. The story opens with the death of Anu, who freezes to death just steps away from the house in a winter blizzard.
It was beautifully written. Gentle and concise, I was drawn into the isolated family life in the mountains. As the story grows darker and the levels of abuse escalate, it was only at the rather abrupt (though perfectly timed) end did I see how damaged they all were. It crept up, increasing slowly with each humiliation and violent outburst.
Anita Rau Badami was the recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada Marian Engel Award in 2000, for the work of a Canadian female novelist in mid-career for an entire body of work. With no expectations going into this novel, I was impressed and look forward to reading more.
2011 / Hardcover / 255 pages
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