The Overstory is an undertaking. Six hundred-plus pages of multiple, interconnected narratives that, on their own, are plenty compelling. Weave them together and you’ve got a story which is–and I don’t use this word lightly–enthralling. The Overstory gives heart to loners and autodidacts. It’s a book that celebrates outliers, and those seeking purpose–or stumbling into it. I’ve been moved to tears by writing before; John Updike’s novels make me cry for their sheer craft of language. But this was the first time I cried over the beauty of a concept. When the full scope of The Overstory started to dawn on me and I realized how epic and genius it is, I actually got choked up. It’s such incredibly inspired and inspiring writing. An absolute well spring for deep study. I would have a field day teaching this one for sure.

study questions

The Overstory asks and answers the question: "What can we learn from trees?" So, what’s the answer?

Every species of tree in The Overstory has its own unique characteristics. Its own distinctive physical properties, protections, and purpose. Choose a tree (either considered as a variety or an individual “character”) to explore metaphorically. 

Choose one of the intergenerational storylines of the novel and explore how it upholds–or contradicts–the saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Discuss how the characters of The Overstory often find more truth and authenticity in their passions than in other humans. Is this a justified conclusion on their part (at least within the story)?

Which character do you most relate to, and why? 

Choose an instance of death (or near death) in the story to explore. What is learned? What is lost? What, if any, transformation occurs?

words!

achene: a small, dry one-seeded fruit that does not open to release the seed

canton: a small territorial division of a country

arhat: a Buddhist who has reached the stage of enlightenment

lassitude: a condition characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit; languor

caldera: a large depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses

palmate: (of a leaf) having several lobes (typically 5–7) whose midribs all radiate from one point.

zoology / (of an antler) in which the angles between the tines are partly filled in to form a broad flat surface, as in fallow deer and moose

saturnalia: an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn / an occasion of wild revelry ("a saturnalia of shopping")

carillon: a stationary set of chromatically tuned bells in a tower, usually played from a keyboard; a composition written or arranged for these bells.

carrel: a small cubicle with a desk for the use of a reader or student in a library; 

a small enclosure or study in a cloister.

samlor: a three-wheeled motor vehicle in Thailand

scree: an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff; talus

talus: a slope formed especially by an accumulation of rock debris; rock debris at the base of a cliff

inflorescence: the mode of development and arrangement of flowers on an axis; a floral axis with its appendages;  a flower cluster;  the budding and unfolding of blossoms; flowering

joss: a Chinese religious statue or idol

pleach: to unite by interweaving, as (horticulture) branches of shrubs, trees, etc., to create a hedge; to interlock, to plash

plash: bend and interweave (branches and twigs) to form a hedge; make or renew (a hedge) by bending and interweaving branches and twigs.

lapidary: adj. relating to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing / n. a person who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems.

derailleur: a bicycle mechanism that moves the chain out and up, allowing it to shift to different cogs

darshan: an opportunity or occasion of seeing a holy person or the image of a deity

glacis: A gentle slope; an incline / a slope extending down from a fortification / a  neutral area separating conflicting forces.

saurian: any of various vertebrates of the group Sauria, which includes most of the diapsids, such as the dinosaurs, lizards, snakes, crocodilians, and birds

cladistics: a biological classification system that involves the categorization of organisms based on shared traits

chronophagic: time-wasting; time-consuming (literally “time eating”)

epiphytes: a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests