The Trees by Percival Everett
This is the most extraordinary book I have read this year,
and possibly for longer than that. I knew only that it had been nominated for
awards, I really did not know what to expect, and (as I so often say) that is
much the best way to read it.
But obviously I cannot leave it at that… so a bit more
information.
It is set in Mississippi, in roughly modern times, starting
out in the (fictional) very small town of Money. A couple of shocking murders
take place: two men each found dead in their own homes, but with another corpse
alongside. Only, the second corpse is the same body, and keeps disappearing and
appearing again. The bodies have been horribly mutilated.
They are dreadful outrageous crimes, and various local and
state officials investigate, tracking down witnesses. The state investigators
eat at the local diner and become friendly with a young woman there, Gertrude.
Some of these people are black and some are white, and this
is spelled out in a matter-of-fact way. The first murder victims are white, and
the mysterious moving corpse is black.
All the conversations are fast-moving, funny and
convincing.
The town of Money is described by its sheriff thus: “This
ain’t the city. Hell, this ain’t even the 21st century. It’s barely
the 20th, if you know what I mean.”
More people get entangled in the investigation – an
academic from Cornell who comes to visit a 105-year old woman known as Mama Z. There
are more murders, all following the same rough pattern, and involving other
racial groups. It is clear that something is getting out of hand. It is tied up
in racial politics and, crucially, in the long list of black men who were
lynched during the 20th century. The story is linked at first with
the killing of Emmett Till in 1955, but moves outwards from there. The title is
for the reader to work out.
I’m not sure I should say more than that (though
#notaspoiler to say there isn’t going to be a long careful explanation at the
end). But this whole very strange story is written in such an exemplary,
clever, funny style, that just as you are wondering how the book possibly came
from the beginning to where it is now, you are also amused and entertained and
beguiled by the passing descriptions. Take the airport, which features for less
than a page:
A woman, far too old for high
school, though clad like a cheerleader, would greet the panes as they landed, Hawaiian
style, lei and all, and say, “Welcome to Carroll County, Mississippi, the
setting for Porter Wagoner’s hit song ‘Carroll County Accident’, 635 square
miles of Southern hospitality.’
And the woman with the first name Helvetica, who wouldn’t
take her husband’s name, New, as it would make her sound too much like a font.
‘If I’m going to be named after a font it’s going to be Oriya Sangam or
something with some exotic flair.’
The book is a confounding mixture of outrage and horror and
a grim look at US history, and at the same time an excellent crime novel and a
very funny story. I have rarely had such a strong feeling of an author knowing
exactly what they were doing, that every word was perfectly placed and
intentional, but ran along like a merry stream, sparkling and enchanting, while
dealing with extremely hard and shocking topics.
Interesting and unusual ending which annoyed some readers.
I most definitely need to read more by this author.
The pictures are of Mississippi life, of varying eras which seems fair as the book moves about a lot, and a truck driver plays a vital and unexpected role.
King
and Anderson Plantation, Clarksdale, Mississippi Delt… | Flickr
Pearlington,
Mississippi. James Hall, truck driver, stoppi… | Flickr
Courthouse
steps, Lexington, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi | Library of Congress
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