91 pages • 3 hours read
The Overstory
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Overstory is a 2018 novel by Richard Powers. Weaving together numerous character narratives, it is the story of a collection of environmental activists and their struggles to make their protests heard by society. It won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Content Warning: The source text and this guide include depictions of violence, specifically police brutality, as well as discussions of ableism and suicide.
Plot Summary
The Hoel family are descended from Norwegian immigrants who moved from New York to a farm in Iowa. Nicolas Hoel, a young artist who lacks direction returns home for Christmas and finds his family dead from a gas leak. The life insurance money allows him to live on the farm and create art pieces, which no one buys, focused mainly on the chestnut tree that was planted by his ancestors.
Mimi Ma is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant named Winston. She and her sisters travel to America’s national parks with her father. She grows up to be an engineer and takes a well-paid job that allows her to travel the world. Winston kills himself, feeling he has no purpose any longer, and Mimi must deal with the aftermath of his suicide.
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By Richard Powers
