The Trees A Novel
The Trees A Novel by Percival Everett, published by Graywolf Press on September 21, 2021, is a literary work that delves into the haunting legacy of lynching in the United States. This 288-page novel unfolds in the rural town of Money, Mississippi, where a series of brutal murders draws the attention of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. As they navigate local resistance, they uncover a disturbing pattern of violence linked to a historical context that refuses to fade away.
Readers will find a gripping narrative that intertwines themes of racism and police violence, as the detectives confront not only the immediate challenges of their investigation but also a broader, unsettling truth. The story features a local root doctor who has meticulously documented lynchings across the country, adding depth to the unfolding mystery. Through its fast-paced storytelling, The Trees presents a thought-provoking exploration of societal issues, making it a significant addition to contemporary fiction.
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Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize
Winner of the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Finalist for the 2022 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award
Finalist for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award
Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
An uncanny literary thriller addressing the painful legacy of lynching in the US, by the author of Telephone
Percival Everett’s The Trees is a page-turner that opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. When a pair of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation arrive, they meet expected resistance from the local sheriff, his deputy, the coroner, and a string of racist White townsfolk. The murders present a puzzle, for at each crime scene there is a second dead body: that of a man who resembles Emmett Till.
The detectives suspect that these are killings of retribution, but soon discover that eerily similar murders are taking place all over the country. Something truly strange is afoot. As the bodies pile up, the MBI detectives seek answers from a local root doctor who has been documenting every lynching in the country for years, uncovering a history that refuses to be buried. In this bold, provocative book, Everett takes direct aim at racism and police violence, and does so in a fast-paced style that ensures the reader can’t look away. The Trees is an enormously powerful novel of lasting importance from an author with his finger on America’s pulse.
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