In the Cherry Tree: A Novel [Paperback]

Dan Pope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

With a wholly original voice, this stunning debut novel captures the overwhelming transformation from childhood to adolescence

An ordinary suburban Connecticut summer in the seventies is the stage for the miraculous world of Timmy. Twelve years old and full of boundless curiosity, Timmy lives an ever-expanding life of record collections (of which Elton John is king), neighborhood bullies (of whom Franky DiLorenzo rules), best friends, and the darker, more lasting secrets of family. Over the course of the summer, Timmy will kill a frog, lose his baseball-card collection, alienate a friend, and witness his parents’ separation. An intruder will hide in his treehouse; his mother will threaten divorce; his father will move out and back in. Timmy’s childhood will end and his adolescence begin.

One of the most remarkable child narrators to come along in recent years, Timmy is the achievement of a stunning new voice in American fiction. In the Cherry Tree is an addictively clever and appealing novel of our universal coming of age.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rather plodding but appealingly homely, this first novel has the feel of an old family album. In a series of grainy snapshots, Pope chronicles the coming of age of 12-year-old Timmy during the summer of 1974 in suburban Connecticut. Timmy's father ("The Dad") is a boozing, gambling, happy-go-lucky Italian-American builder; his mother ("The Mom") is a no-nonsense Nova Scotia WASP. Timmy spends his time hanging out with his cronies, climbing cherry trees, listening to Elton John, going to movies, masturbating, discovering girls, teasing his older brother and sister and observing the neighborhood's idiosyncrasies. Egged on by his sadistic best pal, Stev (the friends drop the "e" at the end of names), Timmy torments feckless Tony, another neighborhood kid, but draws the line at killing frogs, another of Stev's favorite pastimes. As his parents' marriage slowly disintegrates-mainly because the Mom incessantly nags the Dad about his habit of playing golf and boozing during business hours-Timmy is jarred from his idyllic idling. His dog is killed, and when Stev comes home from camp he betrays Timmy by gambling away Timmy's baseball cards to gain favor with the neighborhood toughs. Pope never builds up much narrative steam with his episodic storytelling, and Timmy's voice is not particularly distinctive (despite his earnest cataloguing of boners and mammoth farts). There is a warmth and authenticity to Timmy's interactions with his parents and siblings, but even the heavy sprinkling of '70s cultural references fails to create much edge.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Watergate hearings are in full swing. Evil Knievel is traveling the country. And in an East Coast suburb, 12-year-old Timmy is surviving a summer that's both tumultuous and commonplace. His best friend starts hanging out with older kids; his parents fight aggressively and even temporarily split apart; the neighborhood bully beats up his mother with an almost impossible lack of conscience ("Yeah, well. What the fuck, right?" the bully says in response). Narrated by Timmy, Pope's accomplished first novel perfectly captures the shadowy, charged age of early adolescence. Orange-peel wars, tree houses, and baseball cards coexist with nearly constant "boners" and dramatic masturbation techniques (one involves a dog's assistance; in another, Timmy secretly rubs his penis over a glass before handing it to a neighbor). Pope's dialogue is heartbreaking and real; his characters sympathetic in their gross imperfections. But best is Timmy's voice--detached and never too self-aware. Pope never tells too much, and the clipped, spare descriptions will draw readers straight into Timmy's unspoken loneliness, confusion, and sweet, wild joy. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312422369
• ISBN-13: 978-0312422363
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I like chicken tikka massala although I tell people I am a vegeterian. I get dizzy very easily. For that reason I avoid rollercoasters and airplanes and most other forms of travel. I once played catch with Robert Redford. I often dreaming of flying. In my dreams I flap my arms very fast.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read!, August 11, 2005

By 

Minklady (Los Osos, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Cherry Tree: A Novel (Paperback)

I was surprised how much I liked the book as I'm in my sixties and often find the coming-of-age genre tiresome. The characters are flawed but very human and just so darned likable. The writing style is immensely READABLE. Dan Pope did a great job recreating the feeling of 1970's Anytown U.S.A. Highly recommend this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, poignant, and funny!, October 27, 2004

By 

Matthew Thomas (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Cherry Tree: A Novel (Paperback)

The thing that matters most to me in a coming of age story is that it exposes the pivotal transition between youth and adulthood in an honest and accessable way. This novel does that in spades! It's particularly effective in illustrating how entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking it is simply getting through each day. The dialog is spot-on real. Events are portayed without dictating how you should feel about them - you just naturally experience the surprise, confusion, injustice, and joy of being a kid again. Changes take place around us all the time - they frame our lives and give us substance, sometimes at our own expense - but we don't have to let them beat us and this novel left me feeling good about that.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting That Warm Feeling All Over, October 7, 2003

By 

Jim (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Cherry Tree: A Novel (Paperback)

Dan Pope accomplishes what many authors have tried to achieve and failed. He gives us a story that hits home in so many ways. There is love of family, friends, pets, and generally life- there is loss of those things too. Overall, Pope gives us experiences that we have all had, but through the eyes of his very witty and bright narrator- young Timmy, a boy who seems closer and closer to being any of us when we were 12. On each page, we go deeper into Timmy's life - deeper into the novel, and maybe deeper into our own lives. In the end, it is all of the experiences of Timmy, that Pope allows us to live vicariously, which give you a warm feeling by the novel's conclusion. He proves that togetherness in life works to keep life moving forward and Pope must know this firsthand.
A great, fun, enjoyable read by an honest voice in literature.