![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Overstory.jpg?resize=333%2C499&ssl=1\")
By Richard Powers\nW.W. Norton & Company, ISBN: 978-0393356687
\nPaperback, 512 pages. \u00a9 2018\n
<\/p>By Richard Powers
\nW.W. Norton & Company, ISBN: 978-0393356687
\nPaperback, 512 pages. \u00a9 2018\n
Overstory is a sweeping, heartfelt epic of nine human characters from vastly different backgrounds being drawn together by their love of\u2014and connection to\u2014nature, specifically trees. There\u2019s really no other adequate way to summarize the plot of this book. It\u2019s simply too complex, too interwoven. The passion of author Richard Powers for Nature, and his feelings about what we are doing to it in our own world, shines like the sun through the canopy, illuminating our everyday actions in a totally new way.<\/p>\n
The book is written in what feels like an omniscient narrator\u2019s voice, which distances the reader from the internal emotions and sensations of the characters. At first, I didn\u2019t like this aspect of the tale. But as the stories unfurl and begin to intertwine, it felt almost natural. By the end, after Powers\u2019 climax and revelations of where this story was going all along, I understand why he wrote it this way. To have written it from a close third, for nine separate characters, would have distanced the reader from the tenth character of the story\u2014the trees that appear on nearly every page. Only after I\u2019d finished reading did I see the whole picture\u2014the whole forest\u2014and it left me speechless and in awe.<\/p>\n
The book is separated into four parts: Root, Trunk, Crown, and Seed. In part one, we are introduced to the human characters, and get most of their backstories. At first, I thought this was a volume of short stories and was, admittedly, disappointed. But as I read further in, I began to see how each one was associated with a specific type of tree. I\u2019m sure there is a reason for these connections, and suspect that the characters themselves had traits in common with their tree in the author\u2019s mind, though I\u2019m not sure what those are. That realization drew me further into the story, made me want to see more. And Powers delivers. Even with the narrative voice\u2014no, especially with the narrative voice\u2014I could see a larger overview of who each one was, and spot the sprouts of their futures later in the book.<\/p>\n
Part two, Trunk, brings the characters together, depicting each one\u2019s growth and gives the reader a glimpse of the rings of years that make up each character\u2019s motivations. We\u2019re given strong support to their development as individuals and see how and why they choose to act together in certain ways. While some of the human players remain separate from the others in story space, their actions connect them as much as trees in a forest are connected. It is this part of the story that hooked my heart and dragged me fully into the characters\u2019 lives. And it is this part that left me shaking, tears on my face, at its conclusion. I must admit that when I turned the last page of part two, I felt bereft. I wanted to put the book down and never pick it up again. But the felling of one tree does not kill the forest. I had to read on.<\/p>\n
In part three, Crown, the characters pull apart into separate beings, go their own ways. But what has come before in root and trunk affects all growth that follows in sometimes touching, sometimes heart-wrenching ways. Consequences of prior actions follow them all. I watched, captivated, by the unfurling of those leaves. And in part four, Seed, Powers shows what each tree bears. Not all fruits are sweet, and Overstory\u2019s narrative drives home that point in poignant prose. Specific bits leapt off the page to burn themselves in my mind, with significance to my own life and experience that reaches far beyond the pages of any novel. By the end, I sat holding the book, reading back over the final pages again and again, trying to drive home its message so that I would never forget. But I know I\u2019ll read it again. The Overstory is a profound tale that will deepen with each read. Its message will leave readers touched, changed, or at least that is the hope.<\/p>\n
Beautifully written, full of passionate prose, The Overstory is powerful and evocative, rich and poignant. Richard Powers\u2019 message is clear, and while the conclusion is dark, it is also filled with seeds of hope. It\u2019s no wonder this book won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, as well as other awards. I cannot recommend it enough. If you are a lover of Nature, you will want to read The Overstory, with the caveat that sometimes the ending will surprise you, even when it\u2019s exactly what you expected. If you are unschooled in the value or ways of Nature, this should be essential reading. Put it next on \u201cmust read\u201d pile.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Richard Powers W.W. Norton & Company, ISBN: 978-0393356687 Paperback, 512 pages. \u00a9 2018 Overstory is a sweeping, heartfelt epic of nine human characters from vastly different backgrounds being drawn together by their love of\u2014and connection to\u2014nature, specifically trees. There\u2019s really no other adequate way to summarize the plot of this book. It\u2019s simply too…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Overstory.jpg?fit=333%2C499&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-vA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3084,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/06\/bewilderment\/","url_meta":{"origin":1958,"position":0},"title":"Bewilderment","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"February 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Richard Powers \u00a9 2021, W.W.Norton & Company ASIN: B08X19W2HD Ebook File Size: 3245 KB Following the death of his wife, astrobiologist Theo Byrne is raising their son Robin alone. 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