The Orange Grove by Larry Tremblay
Translated by Sheila Fischman
I’ve written before about Peirene Press and their lovely books, having loved and reviewed “Sea of Ink” and “The Last Summer“. The latter was the first of this year’s releases, and the publishers tend to theme their books with the current series being titled “East and West”. The first book of the year looked at the divide between different classes and outlooks in pre-Revolutionary Russia; this second book looks at another setting, that of conflict in a war-torn zone, and the ideological divide here is just as fatal as the one in “The Last Summer”.
Ahmed and Aziz are twin boys, living in the Orange Grove in an unspecified country with their father Zahed and mother Tamara. The family is slap bang in the middle of a conflict and we are in no doubt of that from the first page, when bombing kills their extended family. The boys’ mother tries to maintain some kind of normal life, homeschooling them when the school is destroyed; however, their father is aware of his obligations to his kind and when local militants call, demanding that one of the boys carries out a suicide bombing attack, he cannot refuse.
The boys, although twins, are very different: Ahmed hears and sees things he cannot explain, whether spirits or visitations we’re not sure; Aziz is in some ways weaker, with an unspecified illness, and no fancies at all. A local militant, the dangerously persuasive and charismatic Soulayed, requires one of the boys to make his way over the hills wearing a belt primed with explosives to destroy the base on the side which has been bombing them and which destroyed their house and killed their grandparents. The point is, which twin? Zahed has to choose, but Tamara would make a different selection, and the boys themselves may have a view on this too…
The second part of the book is set in Canada; the surviving twin, known as Aziz, is now 20 and studying to be an actor. As he works on a play by his tutor Michael, the prospect of performing it brings to the surface his hidden past – for the play deals with terror and militants and is perhaps too close to home. In conversation with Michael, he tells the final truth about what happened near the Orange Grove and it’s shocking and shattering.
Not everything can be explained. Not even war. You can’t explain it when it kills children.
“The Orange Grove” is a quietly powerful book, yet devastating and absolutely necessary in this day and age. As with all the Peirene books it’s short and designed to read in one sitting but my goodness, does it punch above its weight! In 160 pages it covers the complexities of family life and loyalties, the rights and wrongs of war, the lies told in the name of ideology and the terrible cruelty of involving children in conflicts like this. All the family wants to do is to carry on living in the shade of the Orange Grove, a small area of sanity carved out of a war zone, but they cannot help but be involved in the fighting around them.
A strong element in the story is the clash between heritage and beliefs; the surviving twin initially believes all he is told by his father and Soulayed, accepting that his people are in the right, but the truth becomes clear as he grows up and moves into the wider world. Aziz starts to recognise the lies he has been told towards the end of his time in his native country, but once he is in Montreal the full horror is made clear. But what can you believe when you’re in the middle of conflict? It’s only at a distance, with perspective, that you can see things more clearly.
The majority of the characters in the book are male, but the two female presences there, the twins’ mother and her sister who has emigrated, see things very differently. It’s hard to imagine the emotions of a mother asked to sacrifice one of her children; and it’s bad enough to separate brothers in this way, but twins? It’s also terrifying how young the boys are, and in one scene they’re described as playing together, which is what they should be doing at that age, not becoming involved in death and destruction.
Obviously, this is a profoundly moving and affecting book, and I’m still thinking about it a long after finishing it. Sensibly, Tremblay does not define where the conflict actually is, what the ideology is or attempt to present the opposing views, which allows the book to be a comment on the horror and futility of war and its effects. The bottom line is that children are being killed and that is wrong, wrong, wrong – even more relevant bearing in mind recent events. “The Orange Grove” is a powerful addition to Peirene’s stable, an essential read that I can’t recommend strongly enough.
******
A word about the author, Larry Tremblay, who was a name new to me. He’s a writer, theatre director and actor based in Montreal who writes in French, and he’s written novels, short stories, poetry and plays. I wondered whether he drew on his own experiences for the second part of the book; and on the strength of this book I think his work definitely warrants further exploration.
May 29, 2017 @ 06:56:26
This sounds like a wonderful book. I have not read any books from Peirene Press but I have always heard good reviews about them. I was almost hoping you would give away a spoiler as I read through the review. I really want to know what the shattering truth is. 🙂
May 29, 2017 @ 13:47:04
No, I couldn’t do a spoiler here – it’s important that you see the story unfold and find out the truths the characters do at the same point in the story they do. It’s a powerful book and I do recommend it highly.
Jun 14, 2017 @ 21:08:04
Thank you for this amazing review. Please continue to spread the word.
Jun 15, 2017 @ 09:04:09
Thank you! I certainly will!
May 29, 2017 @ 08:52:13
This sounds like an astonishingly affecting novel. Like Resh Susan I want to know what the shattering truth is too. I have a couple of Peirene press books tbr which I had almost forgotten about. I think I should add this to my wishlist.
May 29, 2017 @ 13:46:08
It’s very powerful and the truth is pretty awful – but I shan’t reveal because you need the impact of the revelation when you read the book.
May 29, 2017 @ 10:32:42
I totally agree Peirene choose novellas that punch far above their weight. This sounds excellent.
May 29, 2017 @ 13:45:22
They do and it is – highly recommended!
May 29, 2017 @ 10:51:39
What an amazing publisher. I wouldn’t want to read this as I’m too feeble, but it’s important it’s out there.
May 29, 2017 @ 13:45:03
They certainly are excellent. I’m usually feeble too, but I think this book definitely needs to be read as widely as possible.
May 29, 2017 @ 12:35:59
I’ve always admired the look of the Peirene Press books, but have somehow never got round to acquiring one. They’re on the list. Do you know the QC Fiction imprint from Quebec? I’ve posted about a couple of their first titles; they too produce an interesting catalogue
May 29, 2017 @ 13:44:33
On the strength of the Peirene books I’ve read I can really recommend them. And I hadn’t heard of the QC Fiction imprint but I’ll certainly take a look!
May 29, 2017 @ 13:19:38
Thanks for telling us about this important book. Daily we hear about who was killed in a central Western country — say Manchester and all the horrifying details. But during the same time this incident was cover in the newspapers 244 people, all civilians, many children, were murdered by bombs dropped in Yeman and Iraq, the first US backed directly, the second we had troops involved. These are not terrorists but people just like those at the Manchester rock concert.
Imagine the thousands and thousands of destroyed, devastated lives across the world. It is the US and UL and other western countries’ actions (alliances) which are the heart of the conflict, going back to the 1950s. The best way to convey the senseless cruelty of destruction is to tell the human story of the family and friends destroyed.
May 29, 2017 @ 13:43:23
You’re right – it *is* an important book and as you say by telling the story of a small family group it has so much more impact. We can relate to the people and we can have some empathy. I wish more people would read this and take its message on board instead of continuing to peddle hate.
May 29, 2017 @ 17:50:00
I’ve had this on my radar for a while now… I’m glad to hear you liked it so much. I’ve just put a request in for it – fingers crossed my library can track it down!
May 29, 2017 @ 19:25:59
It’s most definitely worth reading – quite heartbreaking but so powerful.
May 29, 2017 @ 18:08:59
I’ve never read one of their books but just love the sounds of them. So pleased to hear that this one, too, was so tremendously affecting!
May 29, 2017 @ 19:24:50
They really do publish some outstanding works, and this one is particularly unforgettable.
May 29, 2017 @ 20:25:12
The book sounds fascinating but currently I am not reading heart breaking books, as my heart is broken.
May 29, 2017 @ 20:27:13
What’s happening in the world at the moment is enough to break any heart.
May 31, 2017 @ 10:19:51
Immediately put this title on my To-Read because of this stunning review.
May 31, 2017 @ 11:31:50
Thank you. It’s a powerful and moving book – and essential reading in our modern world, I feel.
Aug 09, 2017 @ 08:24:12
This one sounds like a MUST!
No surprise, actually, since it’s coming from Peirene.
Aug 09, 2017 @ 09:49:43
Their books *are* rather unmissable, aren’t they? 🙂
Aug 09, 2017 @ 10:23:49
They most certainly are. 😀