WHERE THE TREES SING, Laura Gallego. Review and analysis

 Review and analysis: Where the trees sing 

To begin with, one of the first details from this book that catch our attention is the choice the author made by naming the chapters with a one-sentence summary, as a warning of what’s expecting us; almost as if she had decided to keep her personal notes of what needed to happen in each chapter as their titles, which evokes an intimate feeling as well as it makes us believe we’re about to listen to a minstrel telling us an ancient tale, considering the novel’s historical context. This, of course, obviating the cover’s carefully elaborated design. If I were you, I’d give it a closer look to discover the secrets its illustrations hide.
            When it comes to analyzing this book, I think one of its strongest assets is the plausible wealth of the author’s research and knowledge regarding its medieval setting, which achieves an immediate, immersive effect for the reader.
            Even if Viana’s (the protagonist) introduction is made through direct characterization, it also shelters an intention to emphasise the foreshadowing element, which points out an important aspect of this young girl that will play a vital role in her character development: “…with time, she proved to be a docile and sleepy baby who dedicated charming smiles to everyone”. This element is wisely used by the author, without abusing it, especially throughout the first chapters. For example, when she tells us that Viana surprised his (back then) fiancé with her audacity by kissing him without asking, the author reveals how vulnerable yet impulsive the character could be when her feelings are involved, something we witness in crescendo as the story progresses. In that case, indirect characterization is used with a perfect fit.             
            On the other hand, Viana’s character development and growth wouldn’t have the same impact on the reader if the author had not made sure that they knew beforehand the privileges which the duke’s daughter enjoyed since she was little, focusing on the innocence and ingenuity of living a quiet life in times of peace for the kingdom, unlike his father, to whom the upcoming war does not take by surprise.      
            Where the trees sing is a story that pleasantly breaks with the cliché of damsels in distress and brave knights as a convention in cavalry novels, inviting its readers to be caught up in its rebellious and reflective manner when it comes to questioning conditions that were imposed to us, as well as the main character questions the norms that had been set upon her as a woman and someone who belongs to the nobility in such a “fantastic” yet close environment.              
            Nonetheless, it’s also good to notice the wise lessons Viana’s mentor shares with her along the story, which bring sense, humility, and good judgment to her character when her recently acquired freedom and independency prevent her sometimes from having objective reasoning: “Turns out you’re very stubborn, for the sake of us both”, he confesses to her, recognizing this quirk in his apprentice, which sometimes turns out to be beneficial and even admirable, but others it turns against her.
            Personally, I find some of Wolf’s lessons to be accurate, but what I enjoy the most about them is the author’s humoristic asset in them, making the character change the narrative when he tells the story about his missing ear, according to the lesson he wants his apprentice to learn. It’s an enigma that remains throughout the whole story, and by which, apart from entertaining the reader, the author creates an excellent characterization of this character, taking advantage of its tale.
            Lastly, and with the intention of inviting you to enjoy this, one of my favourite novels by one of my favourite writers, I’d like to focus on one of the most sublime details of its worldbuilding, which is the presence of “magic” in more mundane ways that one could expect, rather than it only being present in the fantastic or supernatural elements of the story. This is what nurtures with beauty the Great Forest and its legends, filled with the dangers and unknown treasures it appears to shelter: from a group of rebel warriors hiding in it, keeping alive the faith of winning back the peace from past times, to an exotic young boy whose hair-colour changes along with the seasons, and who seems to know the secrets behind the legend of the fountain of eternal youth.
            ¿Would you dare to go deep into the Great Forest to know how this story follows? After all, Oki the minstrel said it: “Every person and every thing has a story to tell. To some of them, you can get through people like me, who narrate them so people won’t forget about them. Others, however, must be lived”.