The Overstory

The Overstory is a sweeping ecological novel that tells the interconnected stories of nine American strangers whose lives are deeply impacted by trees. Their individual narratives eventually converge as they attempt to save the continent's remaining old-growth forests.

The novel was written by American author Richard Powers and published in 2018. It is renowned for its extensive, almost scientific detailing of arboreal life woven into a deeply human narrative.

Yes, The Overstory was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2019. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2018.

The book is uniquely structured to mimic the life cycle of a tree, divided into sections named Roots, Trunk, Crown, and Seeds. The nine main characters represent different aspects of human interaction with nature before intertwining into a central narrative.