[.ca] The Willow Tree (ISBN 0714531391)

this is just as good as his other work:
hubert selby jnr. is far, far from a one book author, as the room, requiem for a dream and this prove. this is a deeply emotional story of a black boy severely beaten by a group of hispanics and his girlfriend left scarred when they throw lye in her face. the boy finds himself in the care of an elderly german who tends to his wounds and tries to comfort him in his grief when the boy discovers that his girlfriend has been driven to suicide because of the attack. the boy then seeks revenge on the gang, taking it in turns to track them down. the elderly german, realising that the boy is being consumed by hate tries to make him realise that love is more important by showing him the good things in life. the one downfall in this story is the repetetive use of the words crying and laughing to describe the boys relationship with the old man but as with all hubert's work, this stays with you long after you have read it and plays on your mind a lot.

Just read The Willow tree:
Hubert Selby is NOT a one-book author (Last exit to Brooklyn). After The Demon, The Willow tree is a splendid novel on hate, redemption and love. Why Americans (publishers and readers) doesn't understand that?

Hope reigns supreme.:
It is easy to want a book such as this to be about dirt and grime and nothing but "the hood." It can then be classified as "keeping it real." But where is the story in that? What's the point of having such a story? So Selby has "A Christmas Carol" type theme running through it, very good I say. Dickens was a bit of a scribe in my opinion and no less unsubtle than Selby in trying to create social change. Bobby, the main character, is beyond redemption. Thirteen years old and already out of control. He seems to feel nothing for anyone and sees life only in terms of what he can get or what others can take from him. His environment is oppressive and offers no sanctuary. Through his experiences with a rather surreal holocaust survivor he finds a form of salvation by allowing himself to stop hating and to begin to forgive. Selby is tight with his writing throughout, so much so that one cannot help but be relieved at the fate of some of the characters, especially Maria. My stomach was in knots with the pain of her mother and grandmother. Not a great novel, but one that tries to be more than just a straight narrative and I think largely succeeds, very much in the mould of Tom Wolfe, or perhaps the other way around. Read it and feel the relief at the nice ending, hell, maybe our societies will work out ok. Hippy? ME!

Deserves better than the Kirkus Review:
Okay, let's face it. *The Willow Tree* isn't Selby's finest novel. *Last Exit to Brooklyn* remains his masterpiece, followed closely by *Requiem* and *The Room*. This latest story tends to be a bit maudlin at times, although in the main the actual language is just as gripping and intense as one finds in Selby's other works. It's a good read, with occasional great moments. The reviewer from Kirkus quoted above breathlessly trashes the book, and snidely concludes that Selby is a one book author. This piece of invective deserves response. Even if Selby WERE a one-book-author (which I don't think he is), so what? My goodness! How many of us are gifted enough to write even one enduring book in our lifetimes? Very few. Yet the reviewer (whom I'm betting is probably a frustrated novelist turned English prof) trivializes such a contribution. How bizarre! It's tantamount to saying that had Tolstoy written only *War and Peace,* he's be a loser because "only" a one-book-author. Liberate yourself from "professional" literary reviewers, as well as from the commodity ideal of literature, which has it that more is better. Read Selby and make up your own mind.

A thoughtful and moving book:
I just finished reading this, and after having read both Last Exit and Requiem I think Selby is one of the greatest and most relevant writers living today. Here is a man who _understands_, who sees the inherent pain, suffering, and also beauty that makes life so tragic and confusing, and who can communicate this struggle so forcefully that you cannot help but to face it with him. The Willow Tree is an extended meditation on hate, redemption, love, and time. Far from being simplistic, the novel is highly nuanced and well reasoned. Sure, the characters here are a little fantastic, but like all of Selby's characters they are thoroughly developed; Selby has great trust in his characters, and allows them the freedom to tell the story on their own. Yes, it is unusual that Moishe's apartment has a whirlpool and other amenities, but it is clear that he is an unusual and special man. I grew attached to these characters, and I think that all but the most cynical and jaded reader would as well. Selby should not be embarassed by this novel, quite the opposite; The Willow Tree is an eloquent and moving discussion of the emotions and values that torment our lives. Do not dismiss it based on the words of a critic -- you will be missing out on a vibrant, engaging, wonderful book.