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“For anyone who has ever wondered how forgiveness is possible, even when the pain is overwhelming, wonder no more. The Crying Tree takes you on a journey you won't soon forget." Sister Helen Prejean
Author of Dead Man Walking
"A mesmerizing book -- one any writer would envy and any reader would love." Jacquelyn Mitchard, author The Deep End of the Ocean
"This complex, layered story of a family's journey toward justice and forgiveness comes together through spellbinding storytelling." Publishers Weekly
HIGHLIGHTS
- Recipient of the 2010 PNBA Book Award
- Una Madre Non Dimentica (The Crying Tree) released in Italy
- Released by MacMillan in the United Kingdom
- Released by Sun Color in Taiwan
- Barnes & Noble's autumn Discover Great New Writers pick.
- BookPage debut novel pick.
- Goodreads Mover and Shaker
- San Francisco Chronicle BESTSELLER
- BOOK PASSAGE First Editions Club pick.
- North American release by Broadway Books
- BookExpo America EMERGING VOICE
"BOTH TRAGIC AND REDEMPTIVE, THE CRYING TREE MIGHT JUST BE THIS YEAR'S LOVELY BONES."
Brian Sweaney, Recorded Books
FEATURED ON WEBSITE
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Sands of Oman - Film by Naseem Rakha
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Guest Blog on The Birth of a Novel
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Guest Blog on Author Exposure: Music and The Crying Tree
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OPB interviews Naseem Rakha on Think Out Loud
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IMIX Playlist -- a selection of the music that influenced scenes in The Crying Tree
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WNPR Podcast -- On Forgiveness with Charles Griswold, Naseem Rakha and Katy Hutchison
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KBOO Podcast of interview with Peabody Award winning radio producer Dmae Roberts
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My CONVERSATION WITH SISTER HELEN PREJEAN, author of Dead Man Walking.
"Gifted storyteller Naseem Rakha has crafted a beautiful and passionate novel that never becomes maudlin or unbelievable. All of the characters are genuinely human, and the author even manages to save a few surprising plot detrails to the end. Highly recommended. "
"More than a novel detailing the oft-chronicled and frequently patsied nature of forgiveness, this is a colorful and creative biography of hate -- about its insidiousness and ferocity but also its fateful familiarity. In ways both subtle and overt, Rakha names it, gives it form and consequence."
Ellen Urbani, the Oregonian
"THE CRYING TREE is a fabulous family drama that focuses on what happens to surviving loved ones when a violent unexpected tragedy occurs."
Midwest Book Review
"Hauntingly beautiful...."
Deseret News
"A powerful novel full of moral questions..."
The Las Vegas Review Journal
"Powerful and stunning debut novel... Written with such wisdom and sensitivity."
Spokesmen Review
"A gripping, well-paced tale, compassionate without being mawkish."
The Guardian
"You really want to keep reading it - maybe for the rest of your life."
Linda McThrall
"An enthralling story."
Cherie Newman - High Country News
Full reviews here