The Treehouse

by Douglas Thayer

A young LDS teen in 1940s Provo, Utah lives through his father's death, a post-WW2 mission to Germany and the Korean War in this new novel. I highly recommend it. It's a gentle tale that shifts gears from light to dark with deftness. Thatcher, a BYU writing professor, has created many well-defined characters.

Genres: Fiction, Lds Fiction, Lds, Mormonism, Historical Fiction

373 pages

First published December 1, 2008

Reviews

[Laura Craner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one really grew on me. Doug Thayer's iceberg (Hemminway-esque) style is always hard for me to adjust to, but once I do I always enjoy it. (Except in the case of the sentence, "Harris was pleased." I would be okay if that sentence occurred in only half the places Thayer used it.) This book is a really excellent example of Mormon stories being told through a liminal character. Harris is not a charismatic, clean cut stereotypical Mormon man. He hangs back, is never particularly comfortable with his priesthood, and has periods of inactivity (but isn't angry about it). The story is gentle even though it deals with grisly topics (Vietnam War) and was a satisfying read. However, I was so convinced that Harris was going to come to a bad end (read: suicide in the tree house) that I have trouble remembering the actual ending--but it is happy. Still not as great as _The Conversion of Jeff Williams_ but good and highly recommendable.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first pieces of Mormon literature that I read was Thayer's short story collection Under the Cottonwoods. I was really moved by many of the stories in it; the imagery was perfect, the writing clear and understated, and it asked hard questions about faith in a world of disappointment, violence, and tragedy. I've read more by Thayer since then, but always come away disappointed. Until I read this book the other week and I was blown away again. There are a few flaws in it; some of the action is too heavily foreshadowed and some of it is repetitive. But the story of a boy becoming a man while struggling with loss and disillusionment is powerful. It is set during the time between the ending years of World War Two and the Korean War, a time ripe for questions about God and his role in our lives on Earth. Thayer comes back to the Book of Mormon often as a work about violence and faith, and I thought this was interesting because it seems that now we tend to de-emphasize the war chapters in favor of other ones.

[Terry Earley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say, though I was not too impressed by Thayer's short story collection "Under the Cottonwoods", His memoir "Hooligan" and this novel "The Tree House" were two of the best LDS books I have read. Both are highly recommended.

As a teenager, then as an LDS missionary in Germany, as an infantryman in Korea, and finally coming home to put his life back together and cobble together some meaning of it all, it had me fully engaged. This was no sugar-coated, formulaic story where "everything is OK". Harris is very real with very real fears, flaws and feelings. The other characters are deep, also flawed, and loving. Each adds important meaning to Harris's life.

It might be that I relate to this young man's struggles. I also came home from an LDS mission to Germany (I also served in Giessen), and faced a draft physical within 2 weeks of my return. I will never know what Vietnam would have done to me since I flunked the physical, though I have thought of it often. I also had the benefit of influential adults both in and out of the Church, who added richness to my upbringing.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harris is a young boy growing up in Provo. He looses his Dad early in life and this novel tells the story of his young adulthood, his mission to war-torn Germany and then his time in Korea on the front lines of combat.

In short, I loved it. While it was clearly a "Mormon Story," it did so without being preachy or didactic. The contrast between mission and military service is shocking and unpleasant. And the prose is simple and spare but beautiful and powerful.

Harris is an immensely interesting protagonist. Flawed and imperfect, but good hearted and loyal. I'm so glad I read this book. I think it will stick with me for a long time.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel follows the early life of Harris Thatcher. Beginning with childhood and years as a young man growing up in Provo, Utah, then three years as a missionary in Northern Germany, followed by a stint in Korea with the U.S. Army. Harris must cope with a number of deaths in this straight-forward coming-of-age story. While there are a number of good times and warm moments, the is a sadness to the overall story.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Good Mormon fiction. The main character is very real and believable, and I think everyone can relate to some parts of him.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting but somewhat depressing in parts. The main character's character is hard to discern because of the writing style.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel can be considered a sequel to Thayer's memoir of growing up in Provo, _Hooligan_. It's not quite as readable as _Hooligan_ in my opinion, although it's every bit as interesting if you're willing to give it a chance, and it tells a story about a specific time and place which you would have difficulty finding anywhere else. Which is why I decided to give it 4 stars rather than the 3 I had originally planned on giving it.

I found the chapters on serving as a missionary in Germany right after World War II very interesting. I was a missionary in Germany in the early 1980s just 35 years after World War II, but Germany had long since re-built, and we always felt reluctant to bring up the war with the people we met, although the subject did arise on occasion. It was only years later that I realized how recent that war still was then, and I regret that I didn't take more time to learn about it from the people I met in Germany at that time.

The section on the Korean conflict was particularly well written, and Thayer managed to capture both the horrific ugliness of war along with the mundane hours and days of wasted time and resources.

Some questions I have which I wish I could ask the author, who passed away just last week:

Why did he choose to have the main character be named Harris Thatcher? The 'Thatcher' part seems easy. It's probably just a modified form of 'Thayer'. But 'Harris' as a first name struck me as odd. That's my surname, but I've never in my life come across anyone with the given name Harris. And, if I had, I expect they would have gone by 'Harry'. I remember that a few people in school called me Harry back in the day, and at least one former missionary companion still does. But 'Harris' as a given name seems like an odd choice if your goal is realism, which I'd have to see this story's author's goal must have been.

Throughout the book, Thayer returns to the subject of the treehouse, but it seemed to me that it could have been used even more as a unifying symbol to bring all parts of the story together than it was. I understand how Harris could have lost interest in the treehouse once he started to experience grown up life, but I wonder why he would never have climbed up into the tree house ever again after his 16th birthday. Perhaps the trauma of his father's death makes this realistic, but wouldn't sheer nostalgia have driven him up there at least once upon his return from his mission or from basic training or from war? I would think so.

I also felt like Harris's reaction to being at war was not described in as much detail as it could have been. I don't know how to explain myself as well as I perhaps could, but I just felt like the trauma it would have taken to bring him as low as he got was not spelled out as clearly as I felt it should be.

I also thought it was odd that his only two siblings were brothers almost ten years younger than him. Perhaps this is based on the author's own situation. But it seems like the addition of a sister or two or less of a gap in the ages of himself and his siblings could have added to the human element.

[Lynne McCarrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that teaches....

This steady, quiet read is written in a way that calms, carries the reader on questions, answers and conclusions FOR US ALL. The content is intelligent of life, its quandaries and questions. I feel more emotionally intelligent for having walked this series of journeys with the main character, Harris.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thayer is known mainly for his short stories, so when I discovered this last year as a fairly new publication of his I was eager to see what he did with a novel. I was not disappointed. I give five stars to a book that I would purchase or read a second time. Those of you who know me know that I am pretty selective about what books I buy because I'm so cheap. :) And, I rarely read a book a second time, even if it's out of this world. This book was really incredible. Thayer creates an authentic Mormon voice, one who faithfully struggles with the ups and downs in his life and does it with real-ness that is unnerving at times. The themes of war, death and personal loss in general are dealt with rawly but not hopelessly. This is a tough act to accomplish as a writer, i think. So much of mormon literature really fails us as a culture because things are either too fluffy or too cynical---and neither of those really serves our subculture well enough. I think it trumps The Backslider in some respects although the two books are very different. I also think that this is perhaps the best book on war that I have read--meaning, the best book on what war does to a person (a mormon person) and how that devastating experience can and does take its place in the story of someone's life. The main character serves in the Korean War.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shared with me by Curtis Ricker

This book is a sort of coming-of-age story, beginning in Provo, Utah, at the end of World War II and extending through a LDS mission to Germany and service in the Korean War.

The story deals with topics of faith, and family, good versus evil, and our relations to those around us. In many ways, I identified with Harris Thatcher, the main character, who chose to have faith and live a good life when he didn't always have the faith of those he saw around him.

I did find the writing style frustrating--most of the book is narrated by a third person from Harris's point of view. So much so, in fact, that dialog is introduced, it is very choppy. I also found the writing to be so simple that it was frustrating.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote about Thayer's semi-autobiographical coming of age story on my blog at http://tpmills.wordpress.com a few months ago...mainly focusing on his unique approach to prose. In short, at first all his short punchy sentences bothered me, but after a while, they helped me get inside the protagonist's head. An interesting read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very well done, the writing style was somewhat new to me, but other than that it is a book that makes you think. At first I was unsatisfied with the ending of the novel but after re-reading it I find it thought provoking and fitting for the novel as a whole. This story shows that no matter what happens in one's life there is always a glimmer of hope.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read short stories from Douglas Thayer before, I was familiar with his stark and to the point style. I really liked this, although a few pages from the end I wasn't sure I would. A message of grace and redemption despite all the hard stuff this old life throws at us. I want to read more of Douglas Thayer.

[Jonathan Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly excellent book that presents tough questions. A candidate for the great Mormon novel (if such a thing ever exists). For my full review, go to: http://www.motleyvision.org/2010/revi...

[Kennedy Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. I do have to make a disclaimer was that there were certain sexual references that made me uncomfortable. However, I felt it was very honest novel and I really loved the main character.

[Marshall Comstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no pretenses in this writing. His style is so spare that it sometimes seemed to me to be overly simple, yet I would continue to think about the story (and the way it was told) after I had put it down. In that way it is deceptively simple, and some of the best writing Thayer has done.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. I kept thinking about it for several days after finishing. I think it is Thayer's best, but, of course, a writer should get better all the time.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to quit reading this book because somebody told me the ending, which would have been a downer for me to read. When I'm feeling like reading something a bit depressing, I'll try again!

[Juli]

rec. by jonathan stapely, mormon author

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad, sweet tale. He was so full of humility, which made him all the more sweet. It was also fun to read about such familiar places that connected me to the story.

[Rebecca H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters in this coming of age novel about two boys who grow up together then go off to war. It's a sobering book that's beautifully crafted.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than I expected.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masterpiece by the "Mormon Hemmingway"

[Marjean]

Very interesting story and writing. It grew on me. It was a challenge to take all the hard things Harris dealt with, seemed realistic. Insight into Mormons in the 1950's.