Digging Deeper Into the Roots of My Love For a Timely Classic: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 Digging Deeper Into the Roots of My Love For a Timely Classic: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

- by Steph *Spoiler Free

    To end off the start of a wonderful 6 day fall break, I’d like to introduce one of my most beloved books of all time—one full of both the struggles and magical wonder of growing up. Featuring: a witty, forced-to-grow-up-too-fast main character, a favored golden child, a weary mother determined for her children to have a better future than hers, a doting father with a great amount of charm but not enough luck, and a confident aunt that sometimes does more harm than good. Filled to the brim with a haunting yet compelling portrait of a poor family living in early 1900’s Brooklyn, New York, Betty Smith crafts a beautiful story of the charming but cruel duality of human nature—and the tart bittersweetness of life.

    I received a Tree Grows in Brooklyn the day of my 12th birthday. The moment I was given it, I eagerly snatched up the book and devoured it in a sitting. It was one of those books so enchanting, so luring, that to pull yourself away from it was to also wrench yourself out of the magic the author weaved onto you—the immersion into the vast world of the novel. Smith’s humbling, rambling narration simply guides a reader through the life of Frankie, the main character. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully express how deep my love and awe runs down for this book. Whenever I reminisce back onto this book, a mix of euphoria and nostalgia bursts into my mind, persuading me to reread this book just once more, once more, once more. (Oh what I would do for the experience of reading this book for the first time again.) 

    While the main character is a young girl named Frankie, and the story’s premise is following her journey into adulthood, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn offers much more than that. Smith applies the clever art of perception into her novel. We only see through Frankie’s point of view for much of the story, yet we watch it mature as she grows older, and her thoughts on earlier events change. Her child-induced optimism slopes down into a bitter realization as she approaches adult years, and I find this shift so fascinating to follow throughout the book. It’s not just Frankie’s narration, either. Throughout the novel, Smith teases us with glimpses of the story before the story, the background of a tale in itself. We learn not only of Frankie and her brother’s childhoods, but also the story of a young woman and a man falling into love, and grappling with the unseen consequences.    

     A Tree Grows in Brooklyn provides an intriguing outlook on encapsulating the essence of being human, and the complex, difficult answer of defining what it means to be a good person. While this novel’s plot may lack the excitement and enticing action or romance you desire, perhaps the simple slice-of-life snapshots will be enough to pull you over for a quick read.