2022 Booker Shortlist - The Trees

[David]

I can see both sides of this. Personally, it worked for me because it opened up a new way of understanding the connection between lynching and police violence that I might not have picked up if this was another serious take on lynching.

[WndyJW]

Emily, I read that quote from Everrett and his exact words were, “fuck it,”! :)

[WndyJW]

I’m surprised you didn’t see a straight, unbroken line from slave catchers to KKK/lynchings to police brutality, David. This is an ongoing crisis in the US.

Cleveland is one of the cities that was under a corrective action plan from the Dept of Justice until Elmer Fudd aka Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, (Trump’s first Attorney General) told the nation’s police depts that were determined to have a problem with excessive force
that they could all disregard their corrective action plans and carry on murdering Black men.

[David]

There’s a difference between knowing something intellectually and understanding it. One of the most important functions of fiction is to help bridge that gap. The Trees did that for me.

[WndyJW]

I can understand that, David. It wasn’t a criticism. I wonder if it’s more a part of my everyday life because I worked in a building where I was in the minority. I didn’t share their fears for my White sons, but I heard all the conversations of Black women who drilled it into the heads of the men in their lives to immediately put their wallet and Driver’s License on the dashboard and keep both hands on the steering wheel when they get pulled over by police, or their fear for their sons when they were high school age because boys that age can be reckless, or their fear when their husbands, fathers and brothers were out after dark.

I worked with mostly women and Black moms do not play. I was in awe of the strength of these mothers. I know a mother whose son was grounded for a year, an entire year, she said where they live he has to be where he tells her he will be. Another friend cancelled Christmas! Took the tree down, unwrapped the gifts and took them back because her kid got in trouble in school one too many times. The women who had sons and nephews that were tall and dark skinned were even more fearful because they know that police think Black boys are older and stronger than they really are.

I can not imagine living everyday with the fear that one of my sons might be killed because they had a tail light out or went over the speed limit.

[Trevor]

In an interview I listened to with him, he suggested that, while not being fair, he was also using the stereotypes to give us a way to dismiss them as “other,” a way for us to keep some distance between us and the perpetrators of the crimes and the holders of these views, and then, in the last quarter, to show how widespread this is, listing many states and current politicians to show that, hey, this is all of us. I thought it quite an effective way to take away that space.

[WndyJW]

I’m not sure I understand. Didn’t Everrett initially want us, us being White readers, to feel that those racists aren’t me, Junior Junior and the idiot coroner are the other, we aren’t like them, but at the end of the book wanted us all to acknowledge that we are all complicit? That slipped by me.

I feel like I need to say that I liked the book, in spite of these things that made me uncomfortable and made me question the style and tone, I do understand why almost everyone else saw it differently than I did. I certainly don’t think my view of this book is the correct view and everyone else is wrong, so I appreciate reading what others saw in it.

[Arun]

Ultimately it is of course for the writer to select a style and aesthetic which works for her/him. And I ranked The Trees second in my shortlist picks. My points were an issue I had with the characterizations though I realize for others these were effective. It’s great to read all the perspectives expressed here.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

This is a quote from an interview which i think Trevor is referencing:

Q: In other places, in other books, and in other interviews, you’ve very much tried to dispel reductive stereotypes about the South, particularly because they are often used by Northerners to not look at themselves. For instance, you say you grew up in the South, yet you don’t have a “Southern accent” or that contrary to stereotype, your great-grandfather was a Texan-Jew who married a former slave or that when it comes to segregation, the most segregated cities are in the North. I looked this up and currently four of the top five most segregated cities are Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Newark. That even though you grew up in the South, the only time you’ve been called the n-word is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But in this book, it seems like instead of complicating or troubling the stereotype of the white Southerner, you amplify it. I love when Scott Simon on NPR asked you, if you were stereotyping your Southern bigots when you described them as, “Smelling of sh*t Aqua Velva and pimento cheese.” But thinking now again of A equals A not being the same as A is A but not in terms of math and logic but in terms of identity, talk to us about this decision here in The Trees to amplify, and caricature.

A:”One reason I did it is because of this American impulse to scapegoat other parts of the country for bad behavior. I just wanted to see whether the reception of the book would have people underscore the fact that these characters are Southern rather than American. As the novel progresses, we understand that the crimes have happened all over the United States. In fact, I just read recently that the only recorded lynching in Canada, the only one, it was 1884, a native man named Louie Sam. He was lynched by an American mob. They crossed the border to get him”

[Laura]

I think the portrayal of the KKK in the novel is a double-edged sword, but I would definitely more lean into positive reception of the idea. I think the portrayal of these despicable hate groups can be either seeing them as bumbling idiots, the author trying to understand their motives (ugh), or, in most popular culture, as larger-than-life villains. I think there is more danger in portraying them as larger-than-life villains, as even though the rational person would realise we're meant to hate them, white supremacists often lean into that imagery. Common imagery amongst white supremacists nowadays are burly, handsome warriors who will stop at nothing to restore their European ancestry, which indicates to me that they are aware of how art, and the world as a whole, views them, but they love the idea of having that much power.

The depiction of them as bumbling idiots, then, takes away that power. They're meant to be laughed at and to be seen as pathetic. I don't think it's declawing them by any means (and I think Everett's novel emphasises how harmful they are as a group), but it does help to make the image of them less larger-than-life. No one wants to be associated with imagery of idiocy.

As a side-note, I think Taika Waititi's film Jojo Rabbit is another interesting narrative that would fit in with this discussion, as Nazis are portrayed in a similar way to the KKK here.

[Emmeline]

Laura wrote: "I think the portrayal of the KKK in the novel is a double-edged sword, but I would definitely more lean into positive reception of the idea. I think the portrayal of these despicable hate groups ca..."

Really interesting points, Laura.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Second of the author Q&A videos

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PNIyTbY...

Wendy - I tried to pose (neutrally) a question about the choice to make the KKK members appear ridiculous - which I know you have questioned.

The very short answer was that “they are ridiculous” and that in portraying them as “Cartoonish and stupid”, “I was only trying to be historically accurate”

Make of that what you will.

[Cindy]

To be honest, I have to say that I really like that response.

[Stephen]

Like this clip from Tarantino's film Django unchained?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6-AR...

[Cindy]

Yes, but without any horses getting hurt!

[WndyJW]

Thank you for asking that, GY. I can understand him gleefully ridiculing the KKK, he’s right that they are stupid. I loved his mocking the KKK members, I just know that they are still a serious threat to Black Americans, that was why it gave me pause, but I know that no one reading The Trees will see the KKK or any of the other White Supremacists groups as any less threatening.

[Gwendolyn]

WndyJW wrote: "Thank you for asking that, GY. I can understand him gleefully ridiculing the KKK, he’s right that they are stupid. I loved his mocking the KKK members, I just know that they are still a serious thr..."

Interesting. It’s a fine line. If the KKK members are portrayed as very ridiculous and almost silly, they become less frightening, but at the same time, if they’re portrayed as extremely threatening, then they could appear almost hardcore and intelligent in a way that’s just not true either. I think the book walks that fine line pretty well, but it occasionally seems to default to the silly side more than the serious side. If I were writing this, I might default to the other way, but it’s a small quibble. I liked the book a lot overall. My biggest quibble is that the ending gets too fantastical and loses some power as a result.

[David]

That's a great question for him, GY, based on all the discussions upthread. His answer was short but made sense to me.

A group can be cartoonishly stupid and also massively dangerous. That is the contradiction with the KKK and white nationalism more broadly.

[WndyJW]

I liked that book in spite of my many reservations, but hated the ending.

[Paul]

News from Influx. In US I think Dr No may have been published by Greywolf this week.

We're absolutely thrilled to be publishing Percival Everett's next book, Dr. No. Following the Booker shortlisting of The Trees (which didn't win but we managed to drink enough good red wine at the ceremony to not feel that too harshly), we wanted to continue working with Percival and we're delighted to say this new book will be out in March 2023 so you won't have to wait very long.

Dr. No is another masterwork from Everett, whose literary purple patch sees no sign of stopping. A satirical caper of supervillains, farce and pastiche, with a philosophical enquiry into the meaning of nothing, it's a Bond send up that you'll never have read the likes of before! Dr No is also a commentary on race and power in the US, and of course, it's very very funny.

We're also going to be releasing three of Everett's backlist titles in the summer and autumn of 2023 - the Pulitzer Prize nominated Telephone, 2011's Assumption, and France's most popular Everett, So Much Blue.

[Cindy]

Dr. No was published on November 1 in the US. And it got much more attention than his books have gotten in the past, which I think is an excellent development. I am waiting for my copy to arrive.

[Paul]

Interesting - due to the Booker do you think? I had thought there were not many GR reviews - but then realised Nov 1 was 2 days ago so only reviews would be ARCs realistically.

Will be good to hear what you make of it. Does feel - a bit like Trees - a move away from the more Goldsmithsy type of work (as per GY's review).

[Cindy]

I will report back when I've read it.

Incidentally, I finally read Claire Keegan's Foster yesterday and absolutely loved it.

[WndyJW]

Everett definitely deserves this attention and I’m glad he’s finally getting it.

I loved Foster too and it made me appreciate Small Things Like These even more when I realized this is Keegan’s style.

[Neil]

What’s rather good is that the pub just down the road from me has just been taken over by new management who have started a book club. I thought they’d be reading stuff like The Thursday Murder Club, but, no, their first book is The Trees.

[WndyJW]

That is good news. It’s a book that’s getting a lot of buzz, but it’s also controversial so hopefully that bodes well for the club.

[Paul]

For anyone (partic in UK) after this or others from Everett's backlist, Influx have a 50% off sale - code BF2022. Ends Saturday morning so be quick.

[WndyJW]

I need to read more Everett. I hope he gets more attention here and there after his Booker nomination.

[Cindy]

His new novel Dr. No is getting a lot of praise. I have it to read, likely next week.

[WndyJW]

I Am Not Sidney Poitier is the one I’ll start with when I read Everett. I guess he’s best known for satire and absurdist novels.

[Paul]

This won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction this week.

Story:
https://www.lovereading.co.uk/blog/pe...

Past winners (and the year the judges decided none of the books were funny):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolli...

[WndyJW]

Thanks for this list! I just told David that I was struggling with The Paradise of Food, which is a book I should love, because I need something lighthearted or humorous. The English Understand Wool was excellent for me yesterday. Now I’m reading The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner and enjoying it. Now to peruse this list…

I dont recall thinking Spies was funny.
I liked Vernon God Little, but I know I’m in the minority.
I loved Life of Pi, (the movie was better than the book I thought. It was a beautiful film.)
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian was very funny.
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being In Aberystwyth is a series I have to tell Niall Griffiths about and I would add Niall’s Stump to a list of funny books. It’s dark humor, but the dialogue is funny.
I liked The Uncommon Reader, it was definitely light-hearted.
I liked Super Sad True Love Story.
I’m going to get Lightning Rods because I suspect I am going to be a Helen DeWitt fan.
Heartbreak Hotel was the basis for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies which I love, they portray the kind of idealized India people like me like to think they’ll find if they make it to India one day.
I should read Francis Plug: Writer in Residence.
I have Nobber, but didn’t know it was funny and about the plague! I like books set during the plague.

Any books anyone thinks should be added to a list of comic literature? I would add:
The Green Man
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Any book by Barbara Comyns
The Book of Dog (by our own Lark)
Feeding Time
Hilary Mantel’s non-historical novels

[Paul]

Do yourself a favour and avoid Francis Plug!

As for comic novels:
The Good Soldier Švejk is a strong contender.
And
Thomas Bernhard’s entire works, but particularly Old Masters

[Emmeline]

I would add the Alejandro Zambra I recently read... Multiple Choice. Don't know if his others are humorous but I found this quite chuckly.

[Paul]

From Influx Press:

"An editor rejected my book, he said my metaphors are incomprehensible...I'm sad as a tangerine."

Lol. But we are sad actually. Percival Everett will be moving to Picador (an imprint of Pan Macmillan) in October after they spent an insane amount of money on his new (and of course, incredible) book James. We're delighted that Percival is finally getting the big bucks, if anyone deserves it, it's him. But it does mean we will no longer be publishing the master.

We've agreed to let our Everett backlist go to Picador so all his books are in one place.

As such, the Influx editions of Percival's books are now limited editions. We have until October 5th to sell off our stock. We will be doing no reprints, so when they are gone, they are gone.

If you want to own an Influx Original Everett, now is the time to order one from us. Who knows, they might be worth something in the future (when he wins the Nobel prize, which is sure to do).

It's been such an honour to publish Percival and bring a UK audience to his work. The Booker shortlisting last year really elevated him to a new readership and we're so pleased to have played a part in finally getting him recognised as a great man of letters.

We remain great friends with Percival and wish him all the best on his new journey, a true gentleman and a genius

[Paul]

Link to books:

https://www.influxpress.com/everett-s...

[Alwynne]

Thanks Paul, I hope they get some takers, it's a publisher worth supporting.