book recs: into the woods
four novels about trees, forests, and parks
After breaking the ice with a quick introduction here, it’s time to kick things off with a curated list of books that will hopefully carry you to the end of this summer (at least here, in the Northern Emisphere).
I’m currently still on holiday as I write and can see a gorgeous view of green, lush mountains from the balcony, so it only seems fitting to dedicate this first post to nature herself.
I gathered for you four novels I read (more or less) recently that center around trees, forests, and parks: places of wilderness where nature takes center stage and living reminders of stories that span centuries and generations.
The first book in this selection is a literary thriller set on the Maine trait of the Appalachian Trail which follows the rescue mission for Valerie, a hiker that went missing for days on end.
The all-female cast of characters is well fleshed out and makes for an engrossing read. The focus shifts between the perspectives of Valerie and Beverly, the warden in search of the rescue mission.
While certain subplots felt undoubtably stronger than others, this book, which is loosely based on a real story, succeeds in conveying a rush towards survival, as well as a strong belonging to the territory.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
The second and last literary thriller of this list actually shares its Italian publisher with Heartwood, which prompted me to read them both in the span of a few months.
The God of the Woods is also set in the northeast of the US, more specifically at an elite summer camp on the Adirondack mountains, and also presents a missing person search as a main plot.
The similarities end here, though, as The God of the Woods intertwines the mystery element with themes of generational wealth and class, dissecting the dynamics one of the Van Laars, truly one of the best/worst literary families ever. You would think that Succession would be the furthest thing from a nature reading list, and yet here we are!
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Traveling all the way to the Mediterranean sea, The Island of Missing Trees is a modern and poetic spin on a tale as old as time: star-crossed lovers against the backdrop of a divided land.
The book follows Kostas and Defne, a Turkish and a Greek Cypriot respectively, as they fall in love against all odds and take their shot at a better life in the United Kingdom. The third perspective, however, is that of a fig tree that used to grow at the center of the taverna they met in.
The fig tree acts as a tangible symbol of generational trauma in a war-torn country, but most interesting of all is the breath of sentient life Shafak infuses into it, reminiscent of ecological thinking (uncoincidentally, the author is in the editorial board of Noema magazine).
Trees are never lonely. Humans think they know with certainty where there being ends and someone else's starts. With there roots tangled and caught up underground, linked to fungi and bacteria, trees harbour no such illusions. For us, everything is interconnected.
We’re traveling back to the US for the last novel in this selection: North Woods follows a house in the woods of New England across many centuries and generations of owners, teetering between wilderness and civilization, reality and superstition.
Part highly researched historical fiction, part ghost story, North Woods adapts its writing style to the current inhabitant of each section, alternating more heavy-set narratives with quirky, sometimes funny bits and bobs.
This novel requires a bit more mental bandwidth than the others of this list to be appreciated fully: it’s best savoured sitting under a tree in a park than read in chunks during a work commute. Trust me on this one.
That is all for today! I hope one of more of these books piqued your interest. As said before, Frances Café is still a baby newsletter and I’m trying to find my footing in terms of post length and style, so any constructive feedback is much appreciated.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Love, Francesca
adding this to my tbr🤍