The Lie Tree

I really enjoyed this parable on evolution, emerging feminism and honesty. You'd think that a speculative fiction book about a girl's role in society, the tension inherent in being a natural scientist while being clergy (as most Victorian scientists were), the Victorian obsession with death, and evolution would be pretty scattered. However, I found The Lie Tree to be one of the most tightly woven books I've ever read: no subplot was left unresolved, and barely a sentence was included without being tied back to one of the central themes of the book. This smoothness may be a turnoff for some – in places, it made the book feel a little juvenile to me – but I couldn't help but marvel at the artistry.

And at the end of the day, my favorite themes are women's place in science, the marvel inherent in natural science, the importance of uncomfortable honesty and speculative fiction, so I enjoyed this thoroughly.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it better towards the end, so I'd recommend sticking with it. Lots of thoughts on feminism and women's diminished roles in the Victorian era. The female characters slowly revealed complexities as the book reaches it's climax is fascinating. Faith and Paul's mutually antagonistic friendship was a delight to read. Faith's interactions with her little brother Howard were also heartfelt and at times deeply sad. When she tells him that good boys write their scriptures right handed, and ghosts don't bother good boys, and then he reveals almost hysterically his pages showing his attempts - that scene was so sad.

Honestly what I dislike about the book is more to do with the Lie Tree itself, even suspending disbelief over it's general magical concept. There is no evidence that the plant is actually helpful in anyway, if anything, Faith should have read her father's journal and thought “My father ate hallucinogenic fruit that drove him mad, and ruined our family. The last thing I should do is also eat this fruit.” Her reaction to both believe the journal, and then follow through with cultivating and consuming it were bizarre to me.

Also - the row boat. I have no idea why the author's idea was to hide the plant in a sea cave only accessible by boat. This immediately threw me off, it's such a weird and random choice. For one, who owns the row boat? Why is it there? Why would someone just leave it on the beach? Has the author ever used a rowboat? They are heavy, and it takes a lot of arm strength to propel and steer it. It's not like being in a small plastic kayak. I do not believe for an instant a 14 year girl in the 1800s who is used to being bound up in corsets and not exercising much would have been able to propel that boat into the ocean against waves and current. It was easier to believe in the magic of the Lie Tree than to believe Faith would not have been washed out to sea.