Orchards book review

Bibliography

Thompson, H. 2012. Orchards. Ill. by Grady McFerrin. New York, NY: Ember. ISBN 9780385739788

Plot Summary

This poetry novel shows the emotions that Kana Goldberg goes through after the suicide of her classmate, Ruth. Though Kana may have not been the reason for Ruth’s suicide, her parents send her to Japan for the summer to work and live with her grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. Kana works to process the pain and guilt she had, not for causing Ruth’s suicide, but for not doing anything to stop her. As she comes to terms with her guilt, she receives the news that another classmate of hers, Lisa, commits suicide as a way of dealing with the fact that she was the main reason for Ruth’s death. Kana is then left again with trying to process these two sudden deaths and turns things around in the end by bringing the community together for a greater cause.

Critical Analysis

Orchards is a beautifully written poetry novel based on the effect of suicide. The vocabulary is not too complex, which results in a fluid-reading novel that focuses on the story and the message of the story within the poems. The book is organized in different chapters, which provides the reader with a sense of narration with the poems. In the book, imagery and emotion are prevalent throughout.

Thompson shows the aspect of imagery with the lost unity of the eighth-grade girls by first stating how they spread “like beads/from a necklace/snapped” after the suicide of Ruth. This use of imagery shows how the girls went in different directions to cope with the suicide of Ruth. She continues this imagery when the girls unite for the memorial service of Lisa towards the end of the novel. The author wrote of the service that brought the girls back, stating that Ruth’s mother “gives a moving speech to us all/has us hold hands, Ruth,/until everyone in the chapel/is connected/in one big/tangled chain/”. This use of imagery shows the unity of the community brought together by the tragic deaths.  

Throughout the novel, Thompson writes the poems in a way that highlights the aspect of emotion. The main emotion that is expressed throughout the novel is regret. Thompson used an email between Kana and Jake to show that Kana was not the only one dealing with the feeling of regret for not doing anything to stop Ruth. “I try not to hate Lisa/ for what she did// I try not to hate myself, too/ I try not to hate all of us/ for what we didn’t do”. There are many sections within the book that are similar to this that reinforce the sense of guilt and regret as the main emotions of the book.

Review Excerpt(s)

• 2012 APALA Asain/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature
• Publisher’s Weekly review: “Conciliation doesn't necessarily come through words, but through small gestures of kindness and understanding, brought to life in Thompson's understated yet potent verse” (January 3, 2011). 
• Review from Kirkus Reviews: “This first young adult outing is a fast-paced page-turner that explores the rippling effects of suicide” (December 30, 2010). 

Connections

• I thought this book would be great to have in a “book club” with students, since it is a novel, and can get the students talking about suicide and ways to prevent it from happening. 
• Certain chapters in the book can be used in a discussion about the topic of suicide/ or use the use of imagery in a ELA/Reading classroom.
• Great book for a read aloud, especially with students in the secondary level, to discuss suicide and how it affects everyone involved.