Roberto D.'s Reviews > Tree

** spoiler alert ** Book 17 out of 200 books
"Tree" by F. Sionil Jose

"Tree" is the story of an unknown young Filipino boy, who was part of the *landed gentry in Philippine society shortly after the Second world war. This young boy saw the economic and income inequalities of his times through the eyes of farmers hoping for a better future but it was through the will of a single man, the Don Vicente Asperri, who later is a major character in "My Brother, My Executioner"- the third book of the five-book series. "Tree" is chronologically the second novel of this series.

MY THOUGHTS:
This novel actually is my Favorite novel of the entire series. "Tree" was quite an easy read, not because it was just short 135-paged novel, but because the book was written so beautifully.

This book, as brooded from its title, centers around the Tree in Rosales, Pangasinan that is seen throughout the course of the five novels.

"Tree" explores the early life and contemporary times of an unknown boy who is from the higher ups of society, who happens to be the narrator of the story. The narrator as you could say, has and feels a lot of empathy for the workers and other people he sees on a daily basis. Here in this book, there are zookeepers, farmers, fishermen, swamp divers and other workers who work on laborious jobs in dire environments. And you have a boy who just lives on his title for being in the gentry class.

Keep in mind that this novel takes place during the Hukbalahap uprisings. This novel, together with "My Brother, My Executioner" actually were written on those bases. And what is more haunting is that most of the people, from the higher-ups to the lower-downs, seem to be just fine with the violence.

Though violence broods throughout the entire novel. The person who actually killed the town's mayor was the son of Istak, the main character of the first novel, thus leading on to bleaker events on the fourth novel, The Pretenders.

Anyways, this book is the most consequential of all the series because through a swift story, a lot happens which are blackened out that we, the readers, honestly don't know what has happened by the third and fourth, stretching to the fifth novels.