The Overstory

 We read The Overstory by Richard Powers in August. This novel which focuses on a story about the relationships between trees and people is long and complex.  We took some time to read it and met to discuss at Chrysanne's.  The Overstory won the Pulitzer Prize in 2019.  Richard Powers created a novel that features not only humans as characters, but trees as well.  He challenges his readers to think about trees as more than plants with their abilities to defy disease and to communicate when distressed: Chestnuts, Maples, Oaks, Redwoods, Mulberry, Bunyan to name a few. Powers brings to life nine or ten main characters whose life stories intersect with their relatedness to trees.  At the same time, he inspires the reader to think about trees and their role in the ecology of our world.  

“This is not our world with trees in it. It's a world of trees, where humans have just arrived.” Richard Powers

Everyone was glad to have read The Overstory.  The writing was lauded as poetic and beautiful.  We read a few passages to one another.  At times, because of the length, it seemed long and sometimes following the characters was a little confusing for us.  

For September, we are reading The Midcoast, A Novel by Adam White.  We will meet at Terry's at 5:30 on September 28th.