Tournament of Books discussion

Welcome to the first quarter final round of ALT.ToB! This round matched up Under the Udala Trees v. Sweetland, both much beloved here. Today's judge is Amber.

Here is a link to Amber's decision:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f...

Here is a link to our tournament brackets so you can see our progress toward the finals:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y...

Thank you Amber!

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Under the Udala Trees Vs. Sweetland (AmberBug)

I feel so lucky to get two books that I enjoyed so much. I have to give mad props to Jennifer & Poingu for picking such great books, I know I wouldn’t have picked up some of these. The craziest thing about all of this... the amazing discussions taking place in the group! I think we have quite a special group of book lovers following along with such broad range of opinions (which surprisingly, everyone respects).

Okay, enough gushing about how awesome all of us are… you came to read about “Under the Udala Trees” and “Sweetland”. Moving forward, I will refer to “Under the Udala Trees” as UTX2 since the title makes my fingers all twisted. Where to even start?! Well, one book left me with a broken heart and the other had me punching pillows from so much injustice. I savored the time spent with Sweetland without stopping to analyze much, but with UTX2 I was highlighting passages like it was my job. Let’s just say that my reading experience was very, very different with each book. I could go into the similarities - how both books deal with emotional topics or how both main characters overcome struggles. Or what about the differences? Sweetland is lyrical and poetic while UTX2 is basic but in your face. However, I just don’t think comparing these books is the way to go. Instead, I’m going to break down the books separately because ultimately the winner succeeds on its own merits with no comparison needed.

I’ll start with Sweetland which I found much harder to write about. This book just about broke my heart. You have this older guy, completely attached to this small island ALL of his life and one day the government comes and tries to take it all away. Well, bless his heart, he just refuses to budge and is one of two people left on the island who won’t sell. The island begins to turn on him and slowly he starts to feel the pressure to sign. He doesn’t give in until tragedy strikes and breaks down his resolve. This is where it gets a little strange, everyone leaves the island BUT him. Yes, he signed those papers but did he comply? Nope. What happens when everyone abandons ship and you get left stranded with meager supplies and nobody to talk to? Crazy as a loon. What broke your heart before he signs, only shatters it into a little million pieces once Sweetland chooses to stay behind.

There is something so tragically beautiful to the writing that makes this story feel so alive, makes the characters seem so real. You can see the fog roll over the island, feel the warmth of the dog pressed against your back, hear the echoes of the ghosts who haunt the island. This one is a difficult one to write about, it’s so hard to articulate exactly what had me so enchanted, but I can’t deny the magic.

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Under the Udala Trees v. Sweetland by AmberBug, Continued...

Under the Udala Trees was a story that felt very familiar at first. We start with a family struggling during war and what follows reflects the path of any war story; loss, death, fleeing, rebuilding. At first I did groan a little, “another war story, great”. I feel like I have been worn down by reading so many of these that they’ve become a genre of their own. Very rarely does one come around with a unique take, something that doesn’t follow the formula (which is probably the formula for what REALLY happens during war times - so I can’t really knock that). Thankfully, UTX2 took a different turn and the true reasoning behind this book took form.

After fleeing from their home, Ijeoma’s mother decides to send her to a family friend’s home for safety. Ijeoma meets a girl and begins a friendship that turns into something else. This relationship builds until they take the next step but get caught in the process. Both girls are subjected to Bible studies to convert them and change their mindframe. During this time, we get a glance at what is going on inside Ijeoma’s head and it’s during these moments that the Author shines. Despite her doubts, Ijeoma follows her mother's advice and marries a man (after another relationship with a woman). The husband was a conundrum for me, sometimes he was the perfect example of a gentleman but the next chapter has him lashing out at Ijeoma, with a little more oomph than is believable. While the subject at hand is extremely important, I felt the characters and the relationships felt flat. I didn’t believe Ijeoma had any strong connection to any of her “love?” interests.

Despite all of that, my favorite parts of the story had nothing to do the relationships but the way the Author utilized actual verses from the Bible to formulate her message. Yes, the Bible says this… but should it be taken so literal? Maybe there is another message here. The Author even played with religion as a whole, giving some very convincing reasoning as to why religious institutions might have an ulterior motive. The husband tries to relay his thoughts about religion based upon his occupation as a businessman. He states,

“See, I’m a businessman. And if you’re a businessman, than one thing you know is that business is all about gathering as many customers as possible and retaining them. Religion is basically a business, a very large corporation… The Church is the oldest and most successful business known to man, because it knows not only how to recruit customers but also how to control them with things like doctrines and words like ‘abomination’. Bottom line is, take your abomination with a grain of salt.”.

I like the balance she played with in regards to religion and the beliefs people have. She brings up strong points for various arguments on multiple sides.

I was completely emotionally invested in Sweetland and felt more from his actions than I did with Ijeoma . Although her struggle falls under a topic I feel strongly about, I didn’t feel that connection to her character. I also didn’t feel there was a true “love” interest. It felt more like she was just starting to discover her sexuality - and in doing so met whoever happened to be nearby with the same sexual preference as her. Her loss was more about losing her freedom to live a life she wanted to live (if she was true to herself). Sweetland selected the opposite, and because he stayed true to himself, ended up staying on the island with nobody to talk to and very few supplies to live off of. Both of these characters made choices that begat hardship very different from one another, but both teach an important lesson.

The strength of Under the Udala Trees is in the message whereas the strength of Sweetland is the characters and writing. I don’t think UTX2 has a chance of winning when it lacks that strong connection to the readers through the characters, or even pulls them in with the author’s words. I really thought both books had very strong stories. UTX2 might have a stronger, more meaningful message but Sweetland makes you “feel” more of the story, gives you the punch to the gut, makes you care. I was left a little cold reading UTX2 and because of this, I have to go with my “feels” on this one… Sweetland has my heart and the win.

Thanks Amber for such a thoughtful essay about these two very different books. These were both among my favorite reads of 2015 and it was so enlightening to me to read your thoughts on how they compared as reading experiences.

I was really interested in hearing how reading Okparanta felt more to you like, hmm, almost like a lecture on how to feel about an injustice, maybe? For me it wasn't so overtly a message book but compared with Sweetland the language is very straightforward and simple. There wasn't a lot of mystery there about how we were supposed to feel.

Sweetland on the other hand is full of mystery, not just for the poetic language but also because so much of the book is one character--maybe the entire book, actually, is one man's isolation and fever dream at being left cut off entirely from his roots and his society.

Thanks for posting this Poingu. I'm off to a job interview but I'll be sure to check back and join in any conversations. :)

AmberBug wrote: "Thanks for posting this Poingu. I'm off to a job interview but I'll be sure to check back and join in any conversations. :)"

Good Luck Amber~and I hope the job involves reading novels.

Thanks, Amber, and good luck with your interview!! I enjoyed reading this decision, which, although I haven't read Udala Trees, I almost certainly would have made as well. I really liked Sweetland a whole lot. I have trouble getting immersed in a story sometimes, but this one pulled me in and didn't let me go. I, too, felt like I was there. It didn't hurt that I found the landscape and the history of the island fascinating. I thought Crummey did a great job making me enjoy being in his main character's mind, when it's pretty clear the main character is a difficult person.

I'm still debating whether to read (by which I mean listen to on audio) Under the Udala Trees. I might be getting to point where I've read too much about it, so it will feel familiar, especially since the writing is straightforward, from what everyone says. We'll see! I'm glad to see Sweetland advance, for sure.

Sweetland!!! that is all. :)


thank you for your wonderful write-up and decision, amber.
good luck on the interview.

I loved both these books but I would also have chosen Sweetland for the "feels." I was completely immersed in it and emotionally invested. UTX2, not so much.

And let me second that "good luck!"

Thank you, Amber, for such a great write up and heartfelt analysis of the books. Unfortunately I have only read Undala so I cannot compare the two, but I do agree with your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Undala; I wanted to like the book so much more than I actually did. I wanted to be moved but, mostly for the reasons you mentioned, I was left outside looking in. I'm glad Sweetland moved on because this one has not only been in my TBR pile for almost a year, its been on my nightstand for two months... Great job!

ahhhhhhh this was mine to post! apologies to poingu for the extra work!!!! i have read and loved Sweetland but not yet read Udala, which i just got out of the library (long line!). i'll read pronto.

awesome writeup amberbug!

just adding a new comment to bump this back into circulation. sorry! i made new threads for the books in the official TOB, but don't want today's decision to be lost in the shuffle.

i am very keen to hear people's thoughts on your decision, amber.

certainly, as you probably got from my first reaction to your judgement (comment #8), i am thrilled with your choice. i found sweetland to be such a wonderful read. while i appreciated UtUT... it just didn't get into me the same way.

Thanks everyone, I was so happy to get both these books. We all know Sweetland is definitely the sweetheart of us all, hehe.

Interview was a success, got the job (although it's an extra one on top of my full-time) and alas no reading involved, just computer tech stuff. But yay, more work to make money to buy more books!

Huntleybrinkley wrote: "Thank you, Amber, for such a great write up and heartfelt analysis of the books. Unfortunately I have only read Undala so I cannot compare the two, but I do agree with your analysis of the strength..."

I have no doubt you'll love Sweetland and become part of the fan club.

Rebecca wrote: "Thanks, Amber, and good luck with your interview!! I enjoyed reading this decision, which, although I haven't read Udala Trees, I almost certainly would have made as well. I really liked Sweetland ..."

The book does go quick if that's something to entice you BUT now that we have so many TOB books to read... I wouldn't be surprised if you skipped it.

AmberBug wrote: "Thanks everyone, I was so happy to get both these books. We all know Sweetland is definitely the sweetheart of us all, hehe."

Congrats on the job, Amber.

The one thing that tipped Sweetland into the "this is great" category for me was when the titular character finds a rabbit head in a cod he slices open (that did happen, didn't it? so much of it attenuated into something that feels like a dream that I'm almost not sure, now).

So over and over again there are these very exquisite, very weird sensual events that keep repeating themselves. like rabbit heads, and fish, and fog. there was something almost filmic about the story in its best parts and something more like poetry in the way the story works and the ending was so great. Some people who are more critical of the novel seem to feel Crummey kind of wrote himself into a corner with that ending, since Sweetland was alone and couldn't very well die as the pov character and so he kind of fades into some unknown realm at the end. But even if that's true, and even if Crummey did write himself into a corner, it was a very great corner.

I thought the ending of Sweetland was amazing, perfect. I have no problem with a pov character fading away or even dying. I kept hoping the novel would end differently and was very moved when it didn't.

Yes! The fish part felt so mythical. I could definitely pick this book up again and gain so much more insight from a re-read.

There are not many books that go to my "re-read" pile (mainly due to the fact that the TBR pile is constantly growing) but Sweetland is a definite for re-reading

Rebecca wrote: "I'm still debating whether to read (by which I mean listen to on audio) Under the Udala Trees. ..."

Rebecca, Udala is a great audio experience -- read by Robin Miles who is always outstanding. In case that factors into your decision. :-)

@AmberBug, it was fun to read your judgment -- your personal sparkle really shines through. I loved both these books and would have had a hard time choosing.

Hope the job interview went great!

Amberbug, thanks for your wonderfully written judgement. I am so glad that you chose to advance "Sweetland".

Also, congrats on getting the job!

poingu wrote: ""

Good Luck Amber~and I hope the job involves reading novels..."

And writing about them. And if it doesn't then it should do.

I think next year's official TOB judges could all come from this group. All the Alt-TOB judges have done such a great job with such well-considered and well-written judgments. I'm in awe.

@ Lagullande -- everyone has done such a terrific job. we are so lucky to have such fantastic and invested members here in the group! it's been such a treat, this alt-TOB. :)

@ amber -- congratulations!!

Really! The dedication and completion of each judge's write-up are astounding. I would have thought somebody would have dropped off or slacked, but no... nobody can say we don't like to read and discuss books! If only I could find a book club like this in real life (that doesn't meet during the AFTERNOON). Why is it that all book clubs seem to be for the retired or stay at home mother?

Seconding all the accolades for the (other) judges. Sorry I couldn't participate more than just posting a decision, but this has been an insane month.

Rebecca wrote: "I thought the ending of Sweetland was amazing, perfect. I have no problem with a pov character fading away or even dying. I kept hoping the novel would end differently and was very moved when it didn't..."

I'm with you 100%, Rebecca.

I don't feel that Crummey wrote himself into a corner regarding the ending. Crummey told us very early on where this book was headed, and then took us there with grace and admirable skill. Crummey could have chosen to let Jesse survive; Sweetland would have more than likely moved off-island, because of his concern and love for that child. And the book would have been about 50% less powerful. Likewise, some kind of rescue at the end would have severely weakened this book.

Instead, Crummey chose to let Jesse die; it was inevitable, then, that Sweetland would stay behind, and die alone. Sooner rather than later. With his regrets, his fears, his hallucinations, his memories, his love of the folklore and history, his love of the landscape, his love for the people he lived with, his love of the ancestors who came before him.

This final sentence in a review from earlier this year in "The Globe and the Mail" summed it up for me:

Like a song of mourning, the work is not only sorrowful and commemorative – it attempts to reconcile us to his loss, to all loss, as part of the “sway of things beyond fighting.”

"The sway of things beyond fighting..." - Those are Crummey's words, from the last page of the book. Exquisite.

Thank you, Amberbug, for your excellent review. And thank you most of all for advancing Sweeetland - we get some more time to keep talking about this book in the next round!!! I could keep talking and thinking about this book forever.

AmberBug wrote: "Thanks everyone, I was so happy to get both these books. We all know Sweetland is definitely the sweetheart of us all, hehe.

Interview was a success, got the job (although it's an extra one on to..."

Congratulations, Amber! It's great to earn more money and be able to buy more books!

Personally, I was hoping that it would go the other way since I adored Under the Udala Trees but I can totally understand why it didn't. It's truly one of those situations where there are no real losers in these two books. I actually bought both of them after borrowing them from the library since I enjoyed them so much.

Lljones wrote: "Crummey could have chosen to let Jesse survive; Sweetland would have more than likely moved off-island, because of his concern and love for that child. And the book would have been about 50% less powerful. Likewise, some kind of rescue at the end would have severely weakened this book."

I completely agree with this and thank you for pointing this out. It makes me appreciate the book more! But it also makes me realize that this might be a book that could never be made into a movie because of the not-positive ending.