I'm not totally sure how to feel about this book. In 1950s Northern California, ten-year-old Lyla--at her father's request--hangs a rope around a huge tree on her grandmother's property. Shortly thereafter, Lyla's father commits suicide using that same rope. The book jumps back and forth in time, going as far back as Lyla's father's childhood and as far forward as almost 30 years after her father's death.

I think this book does an exceptional job of depicting the aftermath of suicide and how each member of Lyla's family blames themselves and each other; seeks answers and explanations; and grieves in unique and non-linear ways. I felt like I really understood Lyla's confusion about her father's death and how complicated it made her relationship with her mother. But this book was very, very slow going for me. It was really hard for me to get into, and the timelines jumping around didn't work for me. Being "in the mind of the tree" was also just odd to me, and I wanted more insight into more of the characters. Overall, this was a bit of a miss for me.

I also thought that the "plot twist" at the end that Lyla's father had fathered a child while at war and that was why he committed suicide was such a copout and really undermined Tucker's thoughtful exploration of suicide in the rest of the book. It felt like Tucker wanted there to be a "reason" Lyla's father committed suicide, and although I'm obviously no expert, that does seem like a facile and flattened conception of suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!