The Overstory - Richard Powers

Drum roll please... this book just won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction on the 15th April, and it's clear to see why. The Overstory was published in 2018 and written by Richard Powers, who has written a previous 11 novels. I think I'll be exploring this author further after reading this! Powers' simplistic yet evocative use of language is reminiscent of American novelists such as Hemingway or Steinbeck, whose writing styles I also adore. This book does seem like a bit of a tome - over 600 pages - but once you're in, you get completely lost in the story.

The novel's first chapter, "Roots", begins with the planting of chestnut trees by the Hoel family, one of which miraculously survives blight and the extinction of many trees of its kind. Throughout the generations, the chestnut tree is photographed once a month, every month, until a monumental album is built up displaying the growth and maturation of the tree. The novel then follows Nicholas Hoel, as well as Mimi Ma, Adam Appich, Ray Brinkman & Dorothy Cazaly, Douglas Pavlicek, Neelay Mehta, Patricia Westerford, and Olivia Vandergriff, as its nine protagonists. The eight chapters each focus on these figures (Ray and Dorothy are one chapter), providing well-rounded and established characterisation of each. 

Each of the nine protagonists has had a life-changing interaction or unique encounter which involves trees in some way. Neelay Mehta fell from a tree as a youngster, leaving him paraplegic for the rest of his life. Patricia Westerford is a dendrologist with a hearing impairment, who has an affinity with trees and is isolated by her peers. When she publicises her accidental discovery that trees can "communicate", the widespread backlash leads to her contemplating suicide. Olivia Vandergriff is a selfish, unconscientious student who electrocutes herself and is revived from momentary death. Following her death, she dedicates her life to activism and the protesting of deforestation. 

Once we are introduced to these nine individuals, the novel continues into the final three chapters "Trunk", "Crown" and "Seeds". These are the longest sections and themselves make up around half of the book. The nine characters, who were at first totally unconnected, begin to intertwine with one another, and are drawn together by their affinity with trees. I am not going to lie and say that this is a particularly "happy" book, as Powers does not aim to satisfy the reader with a romanticised and positive ending, but is ultimately "realistic". At certain points I do think that some of the unfortunate events (no spoilers!) which take place are for impact more than anything, as you begin to think, is there any hope for these people?! In some ways, despite being the type of reader who loves a happy ending, I appreciated the realism in Powers' writing, as this is fundamentally what really drives home the important message he is trying to deliver.

The novel packs in a lot of pretty dark themes, some really harrowing moments, and can leave you at times feeling that there is little hope for humanity. One reviewer described the book as "an impassioned plea for the protection of trees" and this is really true. The exploration of events such as the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest mean that you really learn a lot about history through this work of fiction. All in all, the novel is an overtly political, moving and thought-provoking paean to the natural world. It will make you more aware, and your appreciation of the beauty and grandeur of trees will soar!