Book Review: THE OVERSTORY by Richard Powers

The Overstory by Richard Powers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"The best arguments in the world won't change a person's mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story."

This was my first book for the Christmas break, and I'm nervous for the succeeding ones in my TBR pile. How can they measure up to this worldview-altering, potentially life-changing book?!

I first heard of OVERSTORY a few years ago as "that book about trees that won the Pulitzer." They were right. But also, wrong. It's not just about trees. As Powers said, "the word TREE and the word TRUTH come from the same root."

"Cut it like it's a gift, not like you've earned it... When you cut down a tree, what you make from it should be at least as miraculous as what you cut down."

There are books that are worth their cost in terms of trees cut, paper wrought from mashed up bits of eternity. This is definitely one of them. (It's also the first time a book ever made me conscious/guilty of buying an actual physical volume, instead of purchasing a soft copy for my Kindle!)

This book was meant to plant seeds of discontent, to provoke a reaction in its readers. Powers, a physicist/programmer/musician/writer, is able to blend so many tales in one epic, like many different rings that tell the tale of one mother tree. The first part is a collection of short stories about eight people, and as the novel progresses, we see how their lives become entwined in The Great Tale. Some become environmental activists, while others try to lead secular lives pursuing law or computer programming. But no matter how different our paths, we all live in the same world and will share in the same fate.

Powers skillfully blends fact with artistic license. His account of the real eco-guerillas and the Redwood Summer of 1990 were the heart of the novel. The scenes of police brutality and the heartbreaking consequences of breaking human laws in pursuit of a greater morality are laid out so vividly, I will be dreaming of living on top of a 20-storey redwood for weeks to come!

The teacher in me marveled at the hundreds of scientific gems within. Who knew that 2000 year old seeds from Masada could still germinate? Or that trees communicate with each other?

The reader within could only sigh in bliss over Powers' sentences. This is top novel writing: perfect, efficient art. Nothing overdone, no wasted space. All 502 pages were necessary.

The human is awed and humbled. Powers pointed out that if the planet had been born at midnight and ran for one day, we humans would only appear four seconds before midnight.

And yet, for all our youth and short visit on Earth, we have simultaneously done (possibly) irreparable damage, and brought forth such wondrous things. This beautiful wonder of a book challenges us to take concrete steps. Clicking on my GCash app and collecting points to plant trees is great, but what else can I do? It's going to take ALL of us, not just Greta Thunberg.

Tagging this under #whenliteraryprizesareworththehype! Got this one after reading BEWILDERMENT, and between the two amazing reads, I will be hunting down Richard Powers' backlist for the foreseeable future, with glee!

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