Book Review: "The Tulip Poplars" by Silas House

All the stars for this beautiful, emotional book. Silas House is such an incredibly talented writer, I would read his grocery list if he let me. But his talent isn’t surprising, considering he is a former poet laureate of Kentucky.

The book begins in rural Kentucky, a small town known as Bright Star, in 1918. Two young men, Tom and Amos, fall in love while working side by side on Tom’s family’s farm. They know that they have to keep their feelings for one another secret, although Amos dreams of being in a place where he can be himself and be with Tom.

Tom’s childhood friend Maeve is raised by the town’s Episcopal preacher, and he also runs an orphanage tied to the church. It is there that Maeve meets and falls for Paschal, but given their different races, they know their love cannot be, especially not in Kentucky.

When tragedy strikes Tom’s family, he feels like he must stay in Bright Star to care for his sister and protect the farm from the machinations of an evil preacher. But Amos no longer wants to stay where he has to hide who he is, so he moves to NYC. He realizes that with freedom comes very real danger.

The book spans from 1918-1976 and traces the lives of Tom, Amos, Maeve, and Paschal. It’s particularly bleak in places where the story deals with the treatment of gay people during these years. But it also emphasizes that love can last even when circumstances seem insurmountable or when you can’t be with the person you love. There are moments of beauty and hope as well.

House’s prose is so lyrical and evocative. I could see the tulip poplars in my mind’s eye and watch as love tears the characters apart and lifts them up. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.