Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Overstory, is a tapestry of overlapping stories with the ultimate message that the environmental crisis of clear cutting should be considered a national emergency. This novel is dense and rich with beautiful and intricate literary devices and language that force one to read carefully in order to grasp the true meaning of each sentence and paragraph. This book was not an easy read, but it was a worthwhile one.
The novel begins with stories about each of the characters in their childhood, and spans with them throughout their lives. It tracks them through their involvement in the tumultuous environmentalist movement to save the last ancient forests in the Pacific Northwest. The plot of this book may at times feel arbitrary or unimportant, but it truly highlights the necessity of old forests and the way they are connected to all people’s lives.
I would argue that one must enter the process of reading this book with focus and intention. If you are interested in philosophy, science, and storytelling this novel is a perfect pick. This novel instills that “the best arguments in the world won’t change a person’s mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story.”(Powers 336). This novel has the power to change minds and hearts about the climate crisis, and the tragedy that occurs now in the Pacific Northwest. I would recommend this novel, especially if you read with an open mind and an intent to learn.