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Tammy Gregg crafts literary fiction that explores the elusive lines between reality and the surreal in New England. Her debut novel Why Did God Make the Tree? launches the Patrick Denny series, weaving together multiple narratives that examine how stories shape our understanding of consciousness and truth. A lifelong New Englander with degrees in English from Boston University, Gregg carries forward the psychological complexity of Hawthorne, James, and Jackson while addressing modern themes of mental health and institutional power through her distinct literary voice.
Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers' Favorite
Why Did God Make The Tree? by Tammy Gregg covers the very sensitive subject of mental health, institutional power, and the doctors who wielded power indiscriminately. It is a murder mystery, detective story, and a romance all in one. The book starts with Samantha Perez, a 19-year-old who cannot sleep because of nightmares about her parents. She had looked after her parents in both their illnesses and had buried them six months apart. Dr. Patrick Denny has taken her case after rescuing her from Dr. Dilby, who treats all mentally ill patients as objects to be abused and used while experimenting with different drugs. Denny is the main character who takes the reader on an enthralling journey as he tries to help various patients whom he has rescued from the hands of Dr. Dilby. He is not a favorite with Dr. Dilby and Dr. Alexander Anderson, and he always gets into trouble with them, especially when he keeps removing patients from them.
In Why Did God Make The Tree, Tammy Gregg uses the Tree of Life, which is an old Celtic symbol of the interconnectedness of all things. The branches lift us to the heavenly realm; the roots ground us in Mother Earth. There is a beautiful explanation of why God made the tree, as each person asked has their own reason for the tree, but it ties in with the Celtic symbol. It helps the reader understand how we are all grounded in Mother Earth. Dr. Denny, in his bumbling, soft-hearted way, saves patients from becoming zombies by being drugged all the time. The author brings to light in this fast-moving story how doctors can abuse their privileges of working with people who have mental illnesses, and sometimes they are too lazy to find the root cause. It is a most interesting book, and will definitely be read more than once, as there is so much in it that the reader will keep going back to read sections or the whole book again. There are quite a few twists in the tale, but the reader will have to find out for themself. Enjoy this most interesting book. I did, and will certainly read it again.
