The Language of Trees: A Novel

by Ilie Ruby

Gripping, suspenseful, magical, and richly atmospheric . . . Ilie Ruby's haunting debut novel, The Language of Trees , is exhilarating fiction that announces the arrival of a truly extraordinary storyteller. Echo O'Connell knows that the summer holds its secrets. They are whispered in the rustling trees, in the lush scent of the lilacs, in the flurry of the mayflies batting against the screen door, and in the restless spirits that seem to clamor in the scant breezes on hot evenings. It is in summer that she returns home to Canandaigua, to confront these spirits, both living and not, and to share a secret with her first love, Grant Shongo—a secret that will forever change the lives of many people in the town and put to rest the mysterious disappearance of a little boy more than a decade earlier. Grant, a descendant of the Seneca Indians who call this place "The Chosen Spot," has also come back to face his past. After a broken marriage, he has moved into his childhood home, a lake house that has withstood happiness and tragedy. He knows the spirits of the past must be dealt with—that of the little boy who disappeared all those years ago; the boy's sister, who never overcame the loss; and the love Grant still has for Echo. But before the healing must come the forgiveness. . . .

368 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2010

About the author

The Salt God's Daughter takes place in the seaside community of Long Beach, CA, where I was a teacher over two decades ago. I adored this community, and never quite forgot the enchanted landscape dotted with luminous floating "islands," which were disguised to mask oil rigs along the coastline. Years later, as I began to write a modern-day folktale about the selkies, shape-shifters that are men on land and seals in the water, the setting of Long Beach began to emerge. The history of this beloved place became the bedrock of a multi-generational love story.

My first novel, The Language of Trees takes place in a magical part of Upstate New York where I spent my childhood summers--Canandaigua Lake. Located in an area the Seneca Indians call The Chosen Spot, the lake is the source of local legends, Native American folklore, as well as restless spirits, both living and not.

I have always thought of books as treasures. Most book reviews I write are unapologetically given 4 or 5 stars. That's because life is too short to finish a book I don't love, and I'd never, ever review a book I hadn't finished. Secondly, I feel much more comfortable recommending works I admire than I do criticizing things I don't.

My articles have appeared in the New York Times Motherlode, and ParentDish, among others. Updated events are found on my website: -Website www.ilieruby.com
-Twitter @ilieruby
-Facebook Ilie on Facebook