Wow. I don’t even know how to describe The Trees, or how to begin to put into words what I’m thinking having just finished it. I don’t like “unique” as a descriptor in reviews but this is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The combination of genre conventions, tone, themes, and message/analysis really would not sound like they’d work at all if one were to describe them, yet the book as a whole is extraordinarily effective and impactful. Well paced, solid character development, couldn’t put it down (though it isn’t always easy or comfortable to read) – I cannot wait to read more from Percival Everett. 

Content warnings: racism, racial slurs, hate crime, lynching, sexism, misogyny, fatphobia, classism, colonialism, xenophobia, murder, violence, blood, gore, death, injury detail, gun violence, medical content, genocide, police brutality, child abuse, mentions of sexual assault (not on-page or graphic)