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A review by anneklein
The Overstory by Richard Powers
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Man, am I disappointed. I read the first part of this book a few years ago, dropped it because of life getting in the way of my concentration right before Patricia's story, and picked it back up this year hoping it would be as good as the first few stories.
But the more I think about it the less I think I enjoyed it. There are several reasons for that:
a) The characters are so superficially constructed. They feel very tokenistic: the gifted tech prodigy with Indian heritage, the Chinese daughter of migrants who for some reason becomes a practitioner of alternative therapies (Orientalist, hello), the manic pixie dream girl who hears voices and draws everybody to her (and her "tits glow like pearls" at one point), the crazy veteran who isn't that crazy... it's just not interesting, especially coming from a white cis man.
b) The fact that Indigenous people are only mentioned to make the white researcher come across as authoritative. A couple of Brazilian Indigenous people also appear, again to facilitate the journey of the white lady who is trying to extract seeds from their territory.
c) The lack of intention behind the way the plot unfolded. After the Mimas debacle comes to its resolution, we follow the characters for another couple hundred pages in an aimless way that somehow still tries to pretend it's saying something important. I'm not saying all books should make their messaging clear, I'm saying this was not an ambiguous ending done right.
d) Relatedly: why do we need to go on for so long about every single thing the characters will do? This reeks of "established author lacks a firm enough editor". Like other reviewers have said, it's incredibly bloated and a lot of the pontificating comes across as pretentious, if not directly patronising. The author is so unconvinced that he can change the reader's mind with a few words, he spends hundreds more rehashing the same messages just in case.
e) This one might simply be pointing out that the book did not age well, but still. Why is the solution to the destruction of ecosystems... some sort of AI? It sounds so to me that in 2018, enough people were credulous enough about the detriment that AI represents to the planet that this whole plotline was written, greenlit AND critically acclaimed. I am not convinced whatsoever by the parallels Powers tries to draw between Neelay's "learners" and the processes we find in nature.
All in all, I think I had hyped this book in my mind purely because I do think the short stories in the first part are good, and because I liked the way Powers referenced Walt Whitman, who I do have a soft spot for. But I guess in the end both of them are white men (if you catch my drift), and it shows.
But the more I think about it the less I think I enjoyed it. There are several reasons for that:
a) The characters are so superficially constructed. They feel very tokenistic: the gifted tech prodigy with Indian heritage, the Chinese daughter of migrants who for some reason becomes a practitioner of alternative therapies (Orientalist, hello), the manic pixie dream girl who hears voices and draws everybody to her (and her "tits glow like pearls" at one point), the crazy veteran who isn't that crazy... it's just not interesting, especially coming from a white cis man.
b) The fact that Indigenous people are only mentioned to make the white researcher come across as authoritative. A couple of Brazilian Indigenous people also appear, again to facilitate the journey of the white lady who is trying to extract seeds from their territory.
c) The lack of intention behind the way the plot unfolded. After the Mimas debacle comes to its resolution, we follow the characters for another couple hundred pages in an aimless way that somehow still tries to pretend it's saying something important. I'm not saying all books should make their messaging clear, I'm saying this was not an ambiguous ending done right.
d) Relatedly: why do we need to go on for so long about every single thing the characters will do? This reeks of "established author lacks a firm enough editor". Like other reviewers have said, it's incredibly bloated and a lot of the pontificating comes across as pretentious, if not directly patronising. The author is so unconvinced that he can change the reader's mind with a few words, he spends hundreds more rehashing the same messages just in case.
e) This one might simply be pointing out that the book did not age well, but still. Why is the solution to the destruction of ecosystems... some sort of AI? It sounds so to me that in 2018, enough people were credulous enough about the detriment that AI represents to the planet that this whole plotline was written, greenlit AND critically acclaimed. I am not convinced whatsoever by the parallels Powers tries to draw between Neelay's "learners" and the processes we find in nature.
All in all, I think I had hyped this book in my mind purely because I do think the short stories in the first part are good, and because I liked the way Powers referenced Walt Whitman, who I do have a soft spot for. But I guess in the end both of them are white men (if you catch my drift), and it shows.