The Killing Tree

Reviewed by Victoria Gonzalez for Reader Views (5/09) This novel was a wonderful, poetic description of people living in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. The protagonist, Mercy, has to overcome many trials with her eccentric grandmother and unforgiving grandfather. She feels disconnected from her own life, her family, and her town, and stuck in her hometown and is unable to go to college with the rest of her classmates. She finds a friend in Della DelMar, who makes her feel like she belongs somewhere, but Della is not well perceived by the town. Most of the obstacles she faces are from her grandfather, who calls her Mercy in hopes that God will show mercy on her for being a bastard child and losing her mother during childbirth. He controls her life, and even chooses men that are suitable for her. Unfortunately for Mercy, she falls in love with a migrant worker that picks tomatoes. Her grandfather and the townspeople do not approve - what follows is a poignant account of forbidden love, and the fruits of labor. The author is a magnificent writer; her descriptions of the mountains are mesmerizing; "I crept through the wet weeds and bur briars until I was standing in front of a twisted hickory slain by the storm. Its exposed wood glowed. So bright that I could see the tears shining on Mamma Rutha's face on the other side of the tree." She captures the essence of conversation between small-town people; their short, but profound statements wrench at your heart. My favorite part was waiting for the relationship between Mercy and the migrant worker, Trout, to develop. Trout teaches Mercy about the beauty of her home, and teaches her about the life of a migrant worker, and how this way of life relates to her own. The passage about their names was meaningful and touching. I recommend "The Killing Tree" by Rachel Kenner to women who want to read a good love story that is significant and earth-shattering. Mercy is a relatable character, and being there with her the moment when she finally realizes her home in the mountains can become something wonderful makes this book very valuable.

The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener was an amazing read. It was the kind of book you stay up until 1 in the morning reading "just one more chapter". This is Keener's first novel, which makes it all the more impressive. The voice is incredibly unique and the plot was unpredictable. The imagery, symbolism and message were beautiful, bewitching and powerful. (And I have to say that the colloquial language used is addictive. I keep finding myself thinking in the dialect used long after I've put the book down.) I know when a book was really good because even if I'm satisfied with the ending, I want more. I close the book and mourn the characters I will never see again and the place I no longer get to visit. This is one of those books. The Killing Tree is about a young girl named Mercy who is coming of age in the mountains of Appalachia, the only place she's ever known. She's being raised by her grandparents, Mamma Rutha an eccentric nature-loving grandmother with a mysterious, magical connection to the mountain, and Father Heron, a strict religious grandfather who cares more than anything about his own reputation and can't stand Mercy's promiscuous best friend Della. Mercy's life doesn't seem to be going anywhere as she works her job at a BBQ diner in their small town, until she falls in love with a migrant worker named Trout. Trout is Caucasian like Mercy, but is still looked down upon as a second class citizen by those who live on the mountain, including Father Heron. Mercy must choose to toe the line, or follow her heart. I recommend this book highly. Loved it.

The characters in The Killing Tree seem so familiar somehow, as if the author knows people just like folks I have met along the way...don't miss this escape to read the rich tapestry of Mercy and her family.

I picked up this book and was not able to put it down. From the first page, Keener's descriptions of Crooked Top Mountain and the people who live there are vivid, believable, joyful and heartbreaking. The Killing Tree has what my favorite novels have - depth in its characters and descriptions that draw me into the world where those characters live and, in the case of The Killing Tree, survive. This book has earned a permanent place on my bookcase. I anxiously await Keener's next novel.

This book is excellent. The author's language is so vivid. Her descriptions of the mountains, the valley, love, and hate put you on Crooktop Mountain. As a reader you don't just follow along with the main character's (Mercy) journey...you walk right next to her.