Have you somehow not overdosed on new novels rife with magical realism? Do you like grandfathers? Then boy howdy, do I got a book for you.
Natalia Stefanovi, a doctor living (and, in between suspensions, practicing) in an unnamed country that’s a ringer for Obreht’s native Croatia, crosses the border in search of answers about the death of her beloved grandfather, who raised her on tales from the village he grew up in, and where, following German bombardment in 1941, a tiger escaped from the zoo in a nearby city and befriended a mysterious deaf-mute woman. The evolving story of the tiger’s wife, as the deaf-mute becomes known, forms one of three strands that sustain the novel, the other two being Natalia’s efforts to care for orphans and a wayward family who, to lift a curse, are searching for the bones of a long-dead relative; and several of her grandfather’s stories about Gavran Gailé, the deathless man, whose appearances coincide with catastrophe and who may hold the key to all the stories that ensnare Natalia.
I’m finally back in the swing of Book Club, and this is the first pick this year I’ve been able to handle. The Tiger’s Wife is not a bad book, but I suspect I am not in the right frame of mind for it. I had to put down Book 3 in the Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones) halfway through to start in on it, and I probably felt restless and resentful towards Tiger’s Wife because of it. I only mention this because I feel it’s important to acknowledge one’s possible prejudices.
Along that same line, about three pages into the first chapter of Tiger’s Wife, I got the sneaking suspicion that Obreht was younger than me. I don’t know what made me think that; maybe something in her (although I wasn’t sure it was a her at the time) style that smelled like Young New Writing. I felt a little smug and jealous when I flipped to the flap of my library book and saw her author photo. Not only is she much, much younger than me, but she is very blonde and petite. I hated her instantly, and I only mention this because I feel it’s important to acknowledge one’s obvious prejudices.
I don’t dislike young writers or their writing, but something about this book (maybe the elements of mysticism or magic that were more modern and fancy compared to the Game of Thrones shitstorm that I was desperate to get back to) reminded me of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, which I had read this fall and found largely disappointing the more I think back on it. I only mention this so you understand I do not hate supernatural elements in literary fiction; I am all for it. But sometimes there is an ending feeling of “oh” at the end of these stories when I wish there was a feeling of “Oh!” or “Ohhhhhhh.” I will probably think back on Tiger’s Wife rarely, and when I do, it will probably be with the same vague half-shrug that happens when I think of Lemon Cake.




















I liked Steve Jobs, and I want to make that clear. I’ve always been bi-operating system-sexual (mixing Mac products with Android like a champ) and I was always wary of subscribing to one person’s or company’s vision, but Steve Jobs seemed like a cool dude. And now that he’s gone, it’s clear he’s inspired a lot of people. 


Week Two also finds me in the second week of keeping a Fitness Diary. This is the first time since I was 9 I’ve kept an actual pen-and-paper diary, not just a blog. I think the act of actually writing down what I’ve eaten that day, how I feel, and what my exercise was like really makes me own it. And since I have to carry it with me everywhere, I can’t avoid it.