3.5★s
The Tulip Tree is the second novel by prize-winning Australian author, Suzanne McCourt. Henryk Radecki may not admit it, but since their youth, he has always resented his naïve younger brother, and had disdain for this clearly inferior man. In early 20th Century Russian-ruled Poland, Henryk trains as an engineer, with an overriding ambition to build bridges that is frustrated in the ironworks he helps manage; Adam becomes a veterinarian.

Adam’s focus is always the animals, no matter whose, a potential source of grief; Henryk is resourceful, charismatic and influential, and is surprised to find himself coveting what Adam has. The consequences of his impulsive actions are ever present during their lives, the deaths and births, the wars and imprisonment, the subjugation under different occupying forces, the times of plenty and times of extreme hardship.

Ultimately, Henryk’s betrayal puts them at the mercy of Poland’s post-war secret police.

McCourt’s story spans over fifty years of this extended family and what they endure as their country is ravaged by war and occupation. If her characters are not necessarily wholly endearing, who can say how they would behave the same shoes? In her acknowledgements, McCourt reveals that parts of her novel are inspired by the factual accounts related by her husband’s family.

The map and family tree will be appreciated by readers with such a large cast of characters with (multiple) Polish names and their travels. The blurb might be a little misleading, as only the last few pages are devoted to the Australian setting.

In a literary environment saturated with twentieth Century historical novels, and with the millions of different perspectives of this time that could be written from, an author needs to overcome the exposure fatigue readers may be suffering, and deliver something original. McCourt gives the reader a beautifully written story about ordinary people in extraordinary times, meeting unanticipated challenges.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing.