Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile (recovering from an arm injury; on a short review-writing break)'s Reviews > The Trees
The Trees
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Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile (recovering from an arm injury; on a short review-writing break)'s review
bookshelves: favorites, 2022-favorite-reads
Jul 28, 2022
bookshelves: favorites, 2022-favorite-reads
Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize!
Percival Everett’s “The Trees” begins in Money, Mississippi with the consecutive murders of two of its white residents. In both cases, two bodies, one Black and the other White, respectively disfigured and mutilated, are discovered. When mysterious circumstances connect the two murders, the MBI (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation) sends two Black detectives to take charge of the case. These murders are found to have ties to the decades-old lynching of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till. However, the spree of murders is just beginning, and as the narrative progresses, similar murders are being committed in different parts of the country. An FBI agent joins the MBI detectives in a race to uncover the truth behind the crimes and find whoever is responsible.
The small town of Money, MS is home to a cast of interesting characters (the author entertains us with some not-so-subtly named characters) and deep-rooted racism. As incidents of violence directed toward white men become more frequent and the body count increases, we get a glimpse into the reactions among White Supremacist groups and how they gear up for the “race war” that they knew was coming. Here, the author addresses relevant issues with a good dose of humor, keeping it light-hearted but impactful.
We also meet a 105-year-old woman,who maintains “records” of everything ever written about every lynching in the United States of America since 1913 ( she mentions the number “seven thousand and six”), the year she was born. She takes pride in her efforts and does not hesitate to share her records with the investigators in charge of the case. She makes it a point to mention that she considers police shootings to be lynchings.
“They’re investigating a crime, a crime of history. They need to know about this place, so of course they would come to me.”
She enlists the help of an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, who visits Money, MS at the urging of her great-granddaughter. He assists in her efforts to chronicle past and present events.
“When I write the names they become real, not just statistics. When I write the names they become real again. It’s almost like they get a few more seconds here. Do you know what I mean? I would never be able to make up this many names. The names have to be real. They have to be real. Don’t they?……
Mama Z put her hand against the side of Damon face. “Why pencil?” “When I’m done, I’m going to erase every name, set them free.”
Percival Everett is a masterful storyteller. This was my first book by this author and I could not put it down. He weaves an insightful and absorbing narrative of what begins as a murder mystery but evolves into so much more. While on the one hand, we have moments of humor and elements of social satire there are also moments of darkness and elements of surrealism. But at the heart of this story is racial discrimination and violence – a narrative of the history and the legacy of injustice with an emphasis on the lynching of Black people . In turn suspenseful, funny, infuriating, heartbreaking and terrifying, Percival Everett blends fact and fiction to create a layered, genre-defying novel. (In 1955, Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old Black boy was kidnapped and murdered, and his body dumped into the Tallahatchie River, by family members of a White woman who alleged that he had misbehaved with her. His case garnered national attention and was pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement. )
“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 graves, no one notices. American outrage is always for show. It has a shelf life."
(Please note that there are graphic descriptions of the crime scenes and frequent usage of racial slurs in the story.)
Percival Everett’s “The Trees” begins in Money, Mississippi with the consecutive murders of two of its white residents. In both cases, two bodies, one Black and the other White, respectively disfigured and mutilated, are discovered. When mysterious circumstances connect the two murders, the MBI (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation) sends two Black detectives to take charge of the case. These murders are found to have ties to the decades-old lynching of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till. However, the spree of murders is just beginning, and as the narrative progresses, similar murders are being committed in different parts of the country. An FBI agent joins the MBI detectives in a race to uncover the truth behind the crimes and find whoever is responsible.
The small town of Money, MS is home to a cast of interesting characters (the author entertains us with some not-so-subtly named characters) and deep-rooted racism. As incidents of violence directed toward white men become more frequent and the body count increases, we get a glimpse into the reactions among White Supremacist groups and how they gear up for the “race war” that they knew was coming. Here, the author addresses relevant issues with a good dose of humor, keeping it light-hearted but impactful.
We also meet a 105-year-old woman,who maintains “records” of everything ever written about every lynching in the United States of America since 1913 ( she mentions the number “seven thousand and six”), the year she was born. She takes pride in her efforts and does not hesitate to share her records with the investigators in charge of the case. She makes it a point to mention that she considers police shootings to be lynchings.
“They’re investigating a crime, a crime of history. They need to know about this place, so of course they would come to me.”
She enlists the help of an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, who visits Money, MS at the urging of her great-granddaughter. He assists in her efforts to chronicle past and present events.
“When I write the names they become real, not just statistics. When I write the names they become real again. It’s almost like they get a few more seconds here. Do you know what I mean? I would never be able to make up this many names. The names have to be real. They have to be real. Don’t they?……
Mama Z put her hand against the side of Damon face. “Why pencil?” “When I’m done, I’m going to erase every name, set them free.”
Percival Everett is a masterful storyteller. This was my first book by this author and I could not put it down. He weaves an insightful and absorbing narrative of what begins as a murder mystery but evolves into so much more. While on the one hand, we have moments of humor and elements of social satire there are also moments of darkness and elements of surrealism. But at the heart of this story is racial discrimination and violence – a narrative of the history and the legacy of injustice with an emphasis on the lynching of Black people . In turn suspenseful, funny, infuriating, heartbreaking and terrifying, Percival Everett blends fact and fiction to create a layered, genre-defying novel. (In 1955, Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old Black boy was kidnapped and murdered, and his body dumped into the Tallahatchie River, by family members of a White woman who alleged that he had misbehaved with her. His case garnered national attention and was pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement. )
“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 graves, no one notices. American outrage is always for show. It has a shelf life."
(Please note that there are graphic descriptions of the crime scenes and frequent usage of racial slurs in the story.)
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Reading Progress
July 28, 2022
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Started Reading
July 28, 2022
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July 28, 2022
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 72 (72 new)
message 1:
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Rebecca
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 29, 2022 02:43AM
Fantastic review Sujoya! I just picked up a copy of this. Looking forward to reading it 👌🏻💖💖
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I want to read this too sujoya! As a committed Booker prize geek I intend to read all thirteen longlisted books! It's great you give it the full five stars!
This sounds like an incredible read, I think I need to pick up a copy of this one! I am so glad you loved it Sujoya, beautiful review! 🧡
Rebecca wrote: "Fantastic review Sujoya! I just picked up a copy of this. Looking forward to reading it 👌🏻💖💖"
Thank you, Rebecca!🧡 I was blown away by this one! I hope you love it as much as I did!
Thank you, Rebecca!🧡 I was blown away by this one! I hope you love it as much as I did!
dale martin dean wrote: "I want to read this too sujoya! As a committed Booker prize geek I intend to read all thirteen longlisted books! It's great you give it the full five stars!"
Happy Reading, Dale! I'm glad this novel was nominated!
Happy Reading, Dale! I'm glad this novel was nominated!
Jayme wrote: "Sounds like a tough read! Terrific review! 💕"
The themes were heavy but the author made it out to be an smooth read! Thank you, Jayme!💓
The themes were heavy but the author made it out to be an smooth read! Thank you, Jayme!💓
Kay wrote: "Terrific review! Glad it's a winner Sujoya!😊"
Thank you so much, Kay!😊 I was surprised at how great this one was!
Thank you so much, Kay!😊 I was surprised at how great this one was!
Adina wrote: "So glad you lobed this one as much as I did."
Thank you, Adina! 😊 I intend to read as many of Everett’s books I can get my hands on.
Thank you, Adina! 😊 I intend to read as many of Everett’s books I can get my hands on.
Ceecee wrote: "Fantastic review Sujoya- you’ve sold me! ❤️"
Thank you, Ceecee!🧡 Hope you like this one as much as I did!
Thank you, Ceecee!🧡 Hope you like this one as much as I did!
Maureen ( NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) wrote: "Wonderful review Sujoya!"
Thank you kindly, Maureen !😊
Thank you kindly, Maureen !😊
Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader wrote: "I can’t wait to read it! Absolutely beautiful review, Sujoya!"
Thank you so much, Jennifer!😊 I hope you like this book as much as I did!
Thank you so much, Jennifer!😊 I hope you like this book as much as I did!
Nika wrote: "Terrific review, Sujoya! Sounds like a truly engaging read!"
Thank you kindly, Nika!😊 It is indeed an engaging read!
Thank you kindly, Nika!😊 It is indeed an engaging read!
Barbara wrote: "I enjoy those stories that meld fact and fiction. This sounds intense! Fantastic review Sujoya!"
Thank you so much, Barbara! 😊This is a stunning novel! I hope you also like it if you decide to pick it up!
Thank you so much, Barbara! 😊This is a stunning novel! I hope you also like it if you decide to pick it up!
Melissa (LifeFullyBooked) wrote: "Excellent review, I need to find a copy of this one, it sounds so good!"
Thank you so much, Melissa! 😊This is an amazing read. I hope you also enjoy it!
Thank you so much, Melissa! 😊This is an amazing read. I hope you also enjoy it!
JanB wrote: "Excellent review Sujoya! Sounds like a thought provoking read!"
Thank You so much, Jan!😊 It definitely is but surprisingly it's also a very entertaining read.
Thank You so much, Jan!😊 It definitely is but surprisingly it's also a very entertaining read.
Sujoya..seems like a difficult topic but you make the read sound amazing! Thank you for an excellent, well stated review!🤩
Linda wrote: "Great review Sujoya. This one of the Booker nominees that interests me"
Thank you kindly, Linda!😊 This is a stunning work of fiction. It speaks to the author’s talent that he can tackle such an issue with so much depth without it coming across as too heavy.
Thank you kindly, Linda!😊 This is a stunning work of fiction. It speaks to the author’s talent that he can tackle such an issue with so much depth without it coming across as too heavy.
Lori (on semi hiatus during summer) wrote: "Fantastic review Sujoya! I'm intrigued by your review!"
Thank you, Lori!😊 This is an amazing novel!
Thank you, Lori!😊 This is an amazing novel!
Nancy (Trying to catch up with reviews) wrote: "Wonderful review, Sujoya! I love books that blend fact and fiction. I’ll be adding it."
Many thanks, Nancy! 😊 This is a brilliant novel.
Many thanks, Nancy! 😊 This is a brilliant novel.
Fran wrote: "Sujoya..seems like a difficult topic but you make the read sound amazing! Thank you for an excellent, well stated review!🤩"
Thank you, Fran!😊 The author is so talented! A difficult topic but the handling was such that you can fly through the narrative.
Thank you, Fran!😊 The author is so talented! A difficult topic but the handling was such that you can fly through the narrative.
message 48:
by
Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile (recovering from
(last edited Jul 30, 2022 03:56PM)
(new)
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rated it 5 stars
Whitney Erwin wrote: "So glad this was 5 stars for you!! Wonderful review."
Thank you, Whitney! 😊 This is truly an exceptionally well-written novel.
Thank you, Whitney! 😊 This is truly an exceptionally well-written novel.