‘The Crying Tree’ a poignant debut
When 15-year-old Shep Stanley is shot and killed the world is forever changed for his family.
Nate, Shep’s father and a lawman, retreats into silence, unable to talk about his son.
Irene, Shep’s mom, numbs herself with alcohol while holding tightly to her grief.
Bliss, Shep’s sister, is left with two shattered parents and must decide her own fate, which will be heavily influenced by her brother’s death.
Behind bars is Daniel Robbin, who at 19, ends up on death row for Shep’s murder.
Author Naseem Rakha’s “The Crying Tree” is a poignant tale of tragedy, secrets and redemption. Rakha realistically portrays the anger felt by the family of the victim and a journey of spiritual healing, where forgiveness often is judged as betrayal.
Years pass, and Irene slowly surfaces from the bottom of the bottle. She realizes the hate and bitterness she’s been carrying is killing her. She decides to reach out to Daniel Robbin, if only to unburden herself.
Irene set down her pen and read through her letter. ... “Hating you, Mr. Robbin, wanting to see you dead, and wanting to be there while it happened, has been all I’ve lived for these past years. It was the only thing that had any meaning, and the only way I could think to serve my son. It’s a sad thing for a mother to have to admit, but it’s an even sadder way to live. I see that now. I’ve sat through ten winters, ten birthdays, ten years of having no idea of anything but my hate for you. But that road is over for me now. It has not led me where I need to go. Though Lord knows where that might be.”
Much to Irene’s surprise, Daniel writes back, and they begin a relationship that Irene knows she must keep from her family, and she does, for years.
When Daniel stops his appeals and his execution date draws near, the dam holding back the Stanley family’s river of secrets bursts. Irene finds she’s not the only one who has kept things to herself.
“The Crying Tree” is a powerful novel full of moral questions as well as surprises. Like real life, there are no easy roads for these characters, but they make their way, one step at a time.
