Exuberant in its storytelling, eloquent in its prose, and transcending in its themes, "The Overstory" is a great reminder of our place in the world and the responsibility we, as humans, have towards our surroundings. It's a powerful story spanning generations and geohraphies that ultimately intertwining like roots of a tree to sprout a moving narrative of humanity and it's relationship with nature.
 

The story follows nine diverse characters bound by the perpetual beings called trees. Their tumultuous journey to understand and protect these endangered species, with whom they share a quarter of DNA, leads to a profound realization: it is not they who need help, but us—the humans.

Written in ornate prose that can sometimes be challenging to discern, the book took me twelve days to complete, and I still feel the need to revisit and reread certain sections. The extended time it took to finish was not only due to its depth of knowledge—so profound that it required multiple revisits—its intricate characters, and its captivating narrative, but also because of its complex lyrical composition, which I personally believe renders the book somewhat inaccessible to a vast majority of readers.

The book may not be for everyone, but those who delve into it's pages may find themselves completely transformed. And while this notion sounds appealing in theory, the practical impact may be different. The author, himself, explores the transient nature of life-altering experiences and how their significance can diminish as we re-immerse ourselves in the daily grind. The impact of this book, like everything else, maybe  ephemeral. This isn't to say that is book is not worth the read. Additionally, the book examines the bystander effect—our paralysis in the face of crisis when in the company of others. The author suggests that this social phenomenon contributes to our collective inertia in addressing the climate crisis.

The book is imbued with important scientific knowledge, human experiences and covers many relevnat issues arising from our aloofness. The book is divided into two broad categories: short stories that introduces us to the 9 characters and the main narrative where the paths of these characters converge to form a resistance against profit-driven corporations and governments. The first two-thirds of the book are five-star worthy, but it lagged towards the end. I think with better editing and simple writing, this book could have been even more impactful.

The most poignant scene for me was the speech by one of the characters, where she speaks about the ultimate sacrifice of the ‘suicide tree,’ which blooms once and then dies, allowing its offspring to thrive. 

I will reread this book again someday and will be recommending this book to everyone I encounter.