I, like most folks now, have a lot of time on their hands. Between painting and doing school work and watching enough TV to make my brain rot, I finally decided to attempt to power through some of the titles that fill my beautiful bookshelves, my two most prized possessions. I had purchased Richard Powers’ The Overstory at Brewer, having heard absolutely rave reviews from customers- as one had said, “It won the Pulitzer, damnit.” So I’m happy to report, it is in fact a pretty amazing book. While never a true nature enthusiast, The Overstory makes any reader take a step back to acknowledge the interconnectedness of life and nature, to take a step back and admire the ethereal trees the Earth has given us that we so brutally execute at rampant rates.
The Overstory follows the lives of nine strangers who end up all coming together in some way for the same cause: trees. You begin the novel with a handful of short stories that all involve an intense passion and admiration for nature, all set in different places around the country and with different forms of connection to the trees, whether they be childhood, trauma, or a leveling of playing fields. After these seemingly disjointed and random recollections, the focus then sets itself on a college student named Olivia. As the books progresses, each of the strangers come together slowly, wanting to protect old trees, as they know the Earth can heal itself with a hands-off approach. We follow most of them through their entire life, seeing how their paths diverge and grow, but the roots and passion for trees remain the same.
While there were moments in the novel filled with scientific research and intense science behind trees that definitely went over my head, they definitely made me more appreciative of both trees themselves and the people that study them. The diverse group of characters makes it easy to distinguish between them all, especially as they come together, or when the book begins to cycle quickly through all their lives. The Overstory makes it seem like there’s no way such different groups of people can come together in the beginning, but sets a wonderful foundation for the coming narrative.
Perhaps the most wonderous thing The Overstory provided was its characterization. Powers doesn’t dwell on trivial details; in fact, he rarely even gives any. The beauty in the writing is that we can learn everything we need to know about a character or an event through either deep ruminations, or short snippets of the characters’ lives that may seem irrelevant, but hold the most insight as to who they are. Intricately woven characters, we can come to conclusions about these people through their thoughts, their reactions to the things around them. We need not everything spelled out directly in front of us, and Powers is able to get at the core of each character and their sentiments, the intuitive core that pushes us as readers to think beyond our own limits just as they are.
There is a, dare I say, deeply-rooted passion that is tangible throughout the novel. As the characters fight to protect the trees, we can’t help but wish to share in the raucous protesting, share in the connection they feel to the natural world around them, share in the connection such passion can provide. This deep love comes from the poetic way Powers brings trees to life, bringing reader’s closer to them and reminding us of their need, but how similar we just are to them. How much we can learn and thrive from them. Powers doesn’t leave any stone (or leaf) unturned; from tales of excavation to narratives of loss and anger but the beauty within it, we all stand as mere ants to the giants of these trees, who will live to see our birth and our downfall in one lifetime. I never thought I could be so moved by these ruminations about the stoic living creatures, but you can’t help but reflect and interject your own experiences and lifetime within these polished ruminations. Being able to get readers from any background to care so deeply for what your characters are passionate about is an authorial skill that’s masterful and beautiful on its own, making it no surprise that The Overstory has racked up so many awards and remains on NYT’s Best-Sellers List.
The Overstory should be read by anyone who can get their hands on it- whether you love trees, environmentalism, rumination-heavy narratives, or unique convergences of varied narratives. The connection between trees and people is brought to light, and you are forced to come to terms with your own relationships between people and with nature. It’s a fantastic read, and trust me when I say the 500 pages go by fast, and by the end, you’ll want to protect the trees too.
Buy The Overstory here: https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039335668X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+overstory&qid=1585940241&sr=8-1
Listen to The Overstory here for free with a library card: https://www.overdrive.com/search?q=the+overstory