The Tiger’s wife

The Tiger’s wife is a novel written by Téa Obreht. The author was born in the former Yugoslavia in 1985. She spent her childhood in Egypt and Cyprus before she moved to the United States in 1997.

The story takes place now and half a century ago, in a Balkan country. The book is about a young doctor called Natalia. Natalias grandfather always told her stories when she was younger, and after he dies she turns to these to find answers. Natalia investigates the circumstances of her grandfather’s mysterious death, recounts what she discovered while researching his childhood in a small town, and passes on stories he himself told her about his encounters, with a mysterious “Deathless Man.” Throughout all three narrative lines, the work explores the nature of death, death’s relationship to the struggle to live, and the relationship between truth, secrets and lies.

In a brief prologue, Natalia narrates her earliest memory – of accompanying her grandfather on one of several shared visits to the tiger’s cage at the zoo. During that visit, she witnessed a tiger attacking an attendant, and in narration comments on her belief that her grandfather made sure she watched it.

The Language in the book is quite difficult, but I would recommend this book to readers who is looking for a challenge and wants to improve their English. I liked the book, but sometimes it can be difficult to follow the story.