Birnam Wood is a piece of environmental fiction that revolves around, well, Birnam Wood- an unregulated, sometimes criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective dedicated to extreme gardening on unused land. The group's founder, Mira Bunting, meets billionaire Robert Lemoine, who wants to purchase land near a landslide for reasons unbeknownst to most, leading to a deal that seems mutually beneficial. Other significant characters include Tony, an aspiring journalist, Shelley, who holds Birnam Wood together with her accounting skills, and Owen and Jill Darvish, owners of the land on which the story takes place.

The book is a mix of character development and action, beginning with the former and ending with the latter. The beginning entailed such a detailed introduction of characters and gradual build up, in fact, that I found the pacing to be almost agonizing. However, it's worth pulling through as the book builds up to a fast-paced climax that had me on the edge of my seat!

The environmental theme is well explored, and the billionaire's intention to build a doomsday bunker as well as his use of drones and anything and everything he has at his disposal is a unique aspect of the story. Although the ending may not be to everyone's liking, I found it to be the best part of the book as a whole. Birnam Wood is a well-written and thought-provoking literary thriller that raises important social issues, while leaving many of the answers to such questions up to the discretion of the reader.

Thanks so much to Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux as well as NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.