Time and the Tree by Róisín Sorahan

Publisher: Adelaide Books, NY (September 6, 2021
Category: Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Fable, and Self-actualization
Tour dates: January-February, 2022
ISBN: 978-1955196635
Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages

Description Time and the Tree by Róisín Sorahan

A modern fable about the nature of time and the quest for happiness.

It’s darkly funny, deceptively simple, and a necessary read for testing times.

In this gripping philosophical tale, a boy awakens beneath a tree in a forest in summer. He is soon joined by Time and his slave, a withered creature hooked on time and aching to disappear. The story evolves over the course of a year as a host of characters are drawn to the Tree for guidance. The unlikely cast grapple with choices and grope towards self-knowledge in a world where compassion is interwoven with menace. As the seasons bring great changes to the forest, we watch the child grow while the trials he faces mount.  Then the time for talk and innocence passes as the forces of darkness rally, threatening the lives of his friends.

Lyrical, honest and heart-breaking, Time and the Tree confronts readers with a unique perspective on the challenges life presents. A wise and hopeful book, it is uplifting and unsettling by turns.

Praise Time and the Tree by Róisín Sorahan

“Time and the Tree explores matters of spirit, intention, kindness and how to live the time that is offered through a series of revelations that will often prompt readers to set aside the tale to consider their own relationships with time and life.
Sorahan’s…ability to bring to life some basic tenets of existence and the existential questions many come to feel during the course of a lifetime creates an insightful read on the level of The Velveteen Rabbit classic.”- D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“A genre-busting masterpiece, full of pacy storytelling, wry dialogue and philosophical challenge…”-Declan Kiberd, Author (incl. Inventing Ireland), Professor Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, and international authority on modern Irish literature

“Time and the Tree is unlike anything I’ve read in contemporary literature – a beautiful fable fit for difficult and confusing days.”-Luke Gerwe – Associate Editor, PBS NewsHour, and formerly Managing Editor, Voice of Witness book series

“An uplifting and tranquil allegory filled with positivity and hope, ‘Time and the Tree’ by Róisín Sorahan is a magical tale of a young boy who lives in a forest, a wise and caring tree which offers shelter and guidance and numerous other characters that appear in order to challenge and change under the tree and the boy’s influence.
This book is filled with lessons: to be mindful and present instead of constantly rushing towards a tomorrow that’s just out of reach; the importance of healing past trauma and self-love and acceptance, or showing empathy for others. Hope and positivity flows from the pages of this lyrical story as we navigate the ever-changing seasons in this magical forest. ‘Time and the Tree’ is well-written, its characters compliment each other, with the naivety and curiosity of the young boy setting up many of the lessons. There is a level of spirituality in this book, it encourages meditation and gratitude while also promoting that it’s ok to be you, to embrace your unique qualities and to follow your own path.
Told with an emphasis on nature, ‘Time and the Tree’ is an uplifting read that will infuse any reader’s day with positivity. It’s imagery and storyline are gentle and easy to follow with its underlying message about looking to the light in all things will leave readers with warm feelings of hope and positivity. I found this book entertaining and witty in places, but ultimately it left me with a sense of peace and calm.”-LoveReading

“This is a lovely story that, on the surface, appears like a simple fairy tale. But it is much more than that. It is full of symbolism and knowledge…this book has a beautiful message that is sure to stay with me.T ime and the Tree is a beautiful debut from a talented author.”-Manhattan Book Review

Interview with Róisín Sorahan

TR: Please tell us something about Time and the Tree that is not in the summary.  (About the book, “character” you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

RS: Some books seem destined for their time.

Time and the Tree is hope, and pause, when the world feels dark, and the bedrock that has shaped us is trembling.

It’s the companion on the long road, who asks the hard questions and makes you raise the head and weigh your choices. It’s the same companion who listens carefully. Who probes the silences, as well as the words. The one who doesn’t judge. But makes you think. And, possibly even wonder.

Time and the Tree reminds us of who we are, and what we have the potential to be.

Each reader will shape this book with their own reflections, memories, hopes, dreams and failures. The answers they find, and the choices they make, are theirs alone. This is an aspect of creation that I love: the completion of the work in the mind of the reader, so that it is personal to each who approaches it.

TR: How long did it take you to write this book from concept to fruition?

RS: I’m not really sure. It started as a nudge in the back of my mind. A conversation between a child and a tree, on the nature of time. Then, a long time later, during a 10-day silent meditation retreat in India, it emerged fully formed. The shape, the characters, the structure, the stories all came together, almost unbidden.

After that, I wrote as I traveled, as I pleased. The first draft was mainly handwritten in notebooks. It was a joy. I looked out of the windows of busses on long, dusty rides, and I thought. Then, it was revised, rewritten, reflected on, honed, and it was wholly other to publishing trends, that determine a book’s value in the marketplace.

However, I felt its worth was in the mind of the reader, and I eventually found a home for it. It was a long road, but it came into the world at this time. And that, I think, is important.

TR: In ‘Time and the Tree’, life and relationships are pondered. Do you have a specific message you would like readers to come away with?

RS: We are responsible for the paths we travel and the choices we make. Our capacity for fear and self-destruction is enormous. So too is our ability to change, to fail, to fail better, to love, to immerse ourselves in the moment. Our capacity for happiness is also boundless.

TR: How did your life as an English teacher in China influence your writing of Time and the Tree?

RS: When I first moved to China I lived in Henan province, which is in the centre of the country. It’s rural, remote, and about twenty years behind the wealth and opportunity enjoyed in cities such as Beijing and Dalian. Other than the handful of English teachers in our college, there were no foreigners, and no English was spoken outside of the campus.

It was the first time in my life that I was wholly locked out of a language. I spoke no Chinese when I arrived, and was completely illiterate, as all street signs, advertisements, and the like, were written in traditional Chinese characters, rather than the Romanised version of Chinese, called pinyin, which is often used in more modern urban centres.

As a result, I had to rely on non-verbal communication to get by. It challenged my sense of language, but ultimately reinforced my belief that words are the key to comprehension and insight into our lived and inner spaces.

I was also wholly dependent on the kindness of strangers to accomplish even the simplest of tasks. I made so many crass, and unwitting, errors. And I was forgiven, time and again. It was humbling and rewarding and an exercise in patience and compassion, two important themes in my book.

It was also deeply frustrating at times, and I had to work hard to maintain the equilibrium I had attained on the road. From the perspective of my writing, this was an important awareness and informed my exploration of happiness.

On a more prosaic level, it was a hiatus from traveling. After being in motion for so long, I now had a desk and a computer, and I had the time and physical workspace to put shape on the notebooks I had filled while waiting for buses to depart and trains to reach their destinations, as I wandered and wrote.

TR: What inspired you to write?

RS: I love words. They put manners on my thoughts when they’re unruly.

Words help me to understand the world, and my place in it. They give form to feeling, and they allow instinct to guide. For me, it’s as elemental as naming a thing into being.

TR: How much time and effort went into writing Time and the Tree?  Did you do any research for the book?

RS: I live my life deliberately. I’m willing to take chances and embrace the fear of failure. I take responsibility for my decisions. Even the bad ones. And I both reflect inwardly, and on the world around me. This, I suppose, is a form of research for writing a book about time, and the importance of change, including death, as part of the cycle of renewal.

I also write about the philosophy of happiness, prioritising the self and making good choices that lead to inner peace and happiness.

And yes, it takes time and effort. Possibly a lifetime.

TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?

RS: My publisher produced the artwork for the cover. I like it very much. It captures change simply and evocatively, and it speaks directly to the themes in my book. The colour palette also subtly conveys hope, and compassion, which are central tenets in Time and the Tree.

TR: What is next for Róisín Sorahan?  Do you have another book in mind or other project?

RS:There’s always another project. I’m currently interested in the ‘invisible woman’ and, in that context, I’m researching the life, and imagining the inner world, of Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil, Samuel Beckett’s partner and life-long supporter.

About Róisín Sorahan

Róisín Sorahan is an Irish author currently living in Vermont. She has published numerous stories about her adventures on the road, as well as life as an English teacher in China. Prior to becoming a nomad writer, she pursued a decade-long career in public relations. She holds a Master of Letters from Trinity College Dublin, specializing in Samuel Beckett. Time and the Tree is her debut novel.

Website: https://roisinsorahan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roisinsorahan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Roisin.Sorahan.Author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roisinsorahan/

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Giveaway Time and the Tree by Róisín Sorahan

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