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A review by annreadsabook
The Trees by Percival Everett
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Is there a single word for a book so biting and incisive that it makes you both chuckle and ache deeply within the span of a few pages? Whatever it is, it would be a perfect descriptor for Percival Everett’s novel THE TREES.
THE TREES follows a pair of Black detectives called in to address a string of mysterious and gruesome killings of white townspeople in Money, Mississippi. To the shock and confusion of local authorities, at the scene of each crime appears a second body—one that looks eerily similar to that of Emmett Till.
As these officers strive to uncover the meaning of these recurring events, we are taken on an at times uproarious, at times gut-wrenching ride through Mississippi and beyond, reckoning with both the state and the country’s horrific and haunting history of state-sanctioned and vigilante violence against Black and other people of color.
I would not say this is a mystery book. To call it that, I think, would be doing a disservice to what this novel is attempting to, and I believe does, achieve: force the reader to reckon with this country’s bloody history and question whether the past is ever truly behind us.
One thing I do question is this conversation about whether having Black folks as law enforcement is a viable means of ensuring justice (i.e., so “Whitey wouldn’t be the only one in the room with a gun,” as the detectives rationalize). I just do not believe that simply placing a Black face in a system that was meant from the ground up to oppress us does us the good that many seem to believe. One character in the book does trouble this notion very briefly, but I would’ve liked it examined a bit more, I think.
The above critique aside, though, this was one of my absolute favorite books of 2022 given its ambition and all-around incredible writing. I’m a huge fan of Everett’s writing style and will definitely be delving into his backlist.
P.S.: if you manage to grab a physical copy of this book, please do take a close look at the cover. It’s something no one should miss.
THE TREES follows a pair of Black detectives called in to address a string of mysterious and gruesome killings of white townspeople in Money, Mississippi. To the shock and confusion of local authorities, at the scene of each crime appears a second body—one that looks eerily similar to that of Emmett Till.
As these officers strive to uncover the meaning of these recurring events, we are taken on an at times uproarious, at times gut-wrenching ride through Mississippi and beyond, reckoning with both the state and the country’s horrific and haunting history of state-sanctioned and vigilante violence against Black and other people of color.
I would not say this is a mystery book. To call it that, I think, would be doing a disservice to what this novel is attempting to, and I believe does, achieve: force the reader to reckon with this country’s bloody history and question whether the past is ever truly behind us.
One thing I do question is this conversation about whether having Black folks as law enforcement is a viable means of ensuring justice (i.e., so “Whitey wouldn’t be the only one in the room with a gun,” as the detectives rationalize). I just do not believe that simply placing a Black face in a system that was meant from the ground up to oppress us does us the good that many seem to believe. One character in the book does trouble this notion very briefly, but I would’ve liked it examined a bit more, I think.
The above critique aside, though, this was one of my absolute favorite books of 2022 given its ambition and all-around incredible writing. I’m a huge fan of Everett’s writing style and will definitely be delving into his backlist.
P.S.: if you manage to grab a physical copy of this book, please do take a close look at the cover. It’s something no one should miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism