I subscribe to Ron Charles' weekly, free, book newsletter from the Washington Post. [Click here if you want to subscribe as well.] In this past Friday's newsletter he wrote about The Trees by Percival Everett and how he passed on it late last year for review, but now seeing it show up on so many awards long lists, he went back and read it. Spoiler alert, he loved it.
It reminded me that something similar happened to me with this book at the end of last year as well. In November, I wrote about using the NPR Books We Love app to isolate a book to read and found The Trees. I had not even heard of it before that moment.
I then took it on vacation to read in January and, as I said this post from late January, I read it as part of my commitment to always start each year with some of the best books from he year before which I missed.
At that time, I not only read The Trees by Everett, but I absolute loved it. It completely blew me away with its immersive and swift plotting that still left time for an extremely thought provoking story and a killer ending.
Click here for my full review or see below.
Flash forward to yesterday, when in a meeting, we were discussing some of the recent book awards long lists and I mentioned The Trees showing up on a lot of lists now even though it came out in September of 2021. And during that conversation I said this, "The Trees is the BEST book I have read in 2022."
So, because it keeps coming up in my book related conversations and people are talking about it as it keeps showing up on awards lists, I thought it would be worth running my full review. Previously, I only had that post mentioned above where I linked to it.
Seriously though-- the fact that is keeps coming back around is not only a sign I should remind you all about it, but also, it is punny because it is a zombie story-- of sorts. This return of my review of The Trees was meant to be on so many levels. [Speaking of, it also ended up in the Zombie round of the Tournament of Books, losing out the eventual champion,]
Here is my review of The Trees by Percival Everett, a title I think is not only worthy of all of the award nominations it is receiving, but a title that is imaginative and fun to read as well. Get this book into the hands of more readers. I have some readalikes and talking points to help you figure out who to suggest it to below as well.
This book was stunning!!! I read it because it showed up on a few best lists that I trusted and it had not been on my radar before that so I checked it out.
I don't want to spoil plot here because this book was a terrifying joy to watch unspool. Basically this is a police procedural set in Mississippi, where Black men [at first] are killing white people. The state and federal law enforcement who lead this inquiry are Black. The killings are tied to lynchings from the past and the killers are found dead at the scene as well, but they then "disappear."
Yes it becomes a zombie story, but one that is steeped in hate and also draws on the Afro-Caribbean zombies-- ones that are called to seek revenge. And how that is done is also stunning and terrifying, both from a realistic standpoint and a Horror one. Pages and pages of names are involved and it cannot help but overwhelm the reader [on purpose].
The uncanny, strange, unsettlingly feeling that is just slightly tipped over to the speculative side of reality dominates this story. Also, it is gruesome, fair warning. How the people are murdered and militated is described in detail. But it is nothing when compared to the violent history of lynching that happened and is still happening [one of the other points this book makes clear].
There are multiple narrators, from all walks of life and from all over the country. But our main characters become 3 law enforcement officers [all Black, 2 state and 1 federal] as well as a few key figures all in the MS town where it all begins. The chapters are short and even though the content is heavy and thought provoking, I could not stop turning the pages. I read this on vacation and finished it in a few sittings.
This is one of the most effective anti-racist books I have ever read and it is fiction. When I finished the last lines-- the last extremely open ended lines-- I stopped, looked up into space and just sat with my thoughts for a few moments. It was so realistic, honest, unsettling, and terrifying. This book expresses the anger, sadness, frustration, and victimization of our country's violent history of white people killing people of color just because they are Black or Asian, or Indigenous, or LGBTQ.....with raw emotion.
Also, the title is perfect. It took me a moment after I finished when I literally said in my head-- Why "The Trees." But it only took a second and I nodded and smiled. The subtlety of this book despite the fact that it also hits you square on the head was magnificent. It is 100% anti-racist, pulls no punches, but is also a satisfying zombie story AND I dare anyone to read this and not think about their own place in systemic racism. Even the Black characters [who are mostly law enforcement] have to reckon with their place in systemic racism.
Brilliant! A must read that I will be forcing into hands for years to come.
Readalikes: Attica Locke mystery meets RING SHOUT by Clark. There is also more than a touch of Shirley Jackson here, the master of "uncanny."
The heavy sardonic tone also reminded me of WE CAST A SHADOW by Ruffin and THE SELLOUT by Beatty [I have reviews of both here] but the satire here is a bit less over the top as those books mostly because of that uncanniness I mentioned. It feels real, like this book could happen, while those two titles are set in a world and situation that is more exaggerated to begin with.
And look, this rec is a bit outside the box but I can't stop thinking about it. MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Braithwaite. Like THE TREES I also ready this uncanny, unsettling, violent book win vacation and was entranced by it. Here social commentary is more about the way women are treated than racism, but it was a similar tone, style, and open, thought provoking ending. These two titles tackle serious issues but are fun genre reads as well.
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