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A review by sam8834
The Trees by Percival Everett
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Easy contender for one of my best reads of the year. Holy shit, this book.
Been on my radar a while, but part of me was maybe putting it off because of the murdermysterythriller label. If you are a literary reader doing the same, don't be a dummy like me. Read. This. Because while there are murders and it's a mystery and somewhat thrilling in its story engagement, The Trees also engages with racist violence, overinflated and inept policing, horror/gore/the absurd, history in the present, and critique as satire.
Everett's writing style isn't for everyone, but everyone should give it a shot. His critique of police, in particular, through a satirical, absurdist lens, hits so hard and good.
They walked across the gravel parking lot to the bar. They had shed their blazers but still looked alarmingly like police.
"Did we start looking like this before or after we became fucking policemen?" Jim asked.
"Got me. But it's damn hard to wash off, that's all I know."
There are a lot of LEOs in this book, from various branches of the city, state, and federal forces. None of them are much help in solving a string of gruesome murders. They move, work, and think slowly, somehow in a book whose pacing is impeccable. They all have ridiculous names, except for two Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officers named Ed and Jim, indicating that there are no good cops, even the ones with names that blend in to society (the names - some of which provide a good font joke, like Helvetica, others of which are a hilarious pop culture nod, like Carl Winslow - reminded me of Pynchon, not to compare Pynchon and Everett in the least bit, but the satire and details like this can't help but lead to that likening).
The Trees is set in the present day but has a very historical feel, which I think is intentional. While the story circles the murder of Emmett Till, Everett continually and cleverly yanks you out of it with mentions of current politics, a forceful reminder that history isn't <i>just</i> history. Lynching and genocide are still happening, and we don't always see it.
"Everybody talks about genocides around the world, but when the killing is slow and spread over a hundred years, no one notices. Where there are no mass graces, no one notices. American outrage is always for show. It has a shelf life."
It's not shoved in your face, but the book is persistent enough in its satirizing of racial violence and policing that you're forced to see that while it feels like historical fiction, it is not.
Deducted part of a star for some trope-y characterization that involves fatphobia and sexism. I get that bro-y satire tends to involve this type of humor, and this book is making me think more about whether or not said satire can exist without harmful tropes (easy answer: yes?). This is otherwise such a perfect book, and I'm pulling for it to win the Booker.
Been on my radar a while, but part of me was maybe putting it off because of the murdermysterythriller label. If you are a literary reader doing the same, don't be a dummy like me. Read. This. Because while there are murders and it's a mystery and somewhat thrilling in its story engagement, The Trees also engages with racist violence, overinflated and inept policing, horror/gore/the absurd, history in the present, and critique as satire.
Everett's writing style isn't for everyone, but everyone should give it a shot. His critique of police, in particular, through a satirical, absurdist lens, hits so hard and good.
They walked across the gravel parking lot to the bar. They had shed their blazers but still looked alarmingly like police.
"Did we start looking like this before or after we became fucking policemen?" Jim asked.
"Got me. But it's damn hard to wash off, that's all I know."
There are a lot of LEOs in this book, from various branches of the city, state, and federal forces. None of them are much help in solving a string of gruesome murders. They move, work, and think slowly, somehow in a book whose pacing is impeccable. They all have ridiculous names, except for two Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officers named Ed and Jim, indicating that there are no good cops, even the ones with names that blend in to society (the names - some of which provide a good font joke, like Helvetica, others of which are a hilarious pop culture nod, like Carl Winslow - reminded me of Pynchon, not to compare Pynchon and Everett in the least bit, but the satire and details like this can't help but lead to that likening).
The Trees is set in the present day but has a very historical feel, which I think is intentional. While the story circles the murder of Emmett Till, Everett continually and cleverly yanks you out of it with mentions of current politics, a forceful reminder that history isn't <i>just</i> history. Lynching and genocide are still happening, and we don't always see it.
"Everybody talks about genocides around the world, but when the killing is slow and spread over a hundred years, no one notices. Where there are no mass graces, no one notices. American outrage is always for show. It has a shelf life."
It's not shoved in your face, but the book is persistent enough in its satirizing of racial violence and policing that you're forced to see that while it feels like historical fiction, it is not.
Deducted part of a star for some trope-y characterization that involves fatphobia and sexism. I get that bro-y satire tends to involve this type of humor, and this book is making me think more about whether or not said satire can exist without harmful tropes (easy answer: yes?). This is otherwise such a perfect book, and I'm pulling for it to win the Booker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, and Racism