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reviewed Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Birnam Wood (2023, Farrar, Straus & Giroux) 4 stars

Birnam Wood

5 stars

A+ political/environmental thriller about a guerilla gardening group that gets in over its head. Flawed, complicated characters, multiple perspectives, and interesting observations about New Zealanders and their country. Takes a sharp look at morality, working to change things, self-awareness/self-mythology, and relationships/power struggles. I thought the dialogue was particularly good. At one point, the group has a meeting where an argument starts, and it felt like I was in the room witnessing the verbal sparring. Kind of a crushing read overall for me, despite (or because of?) the satire/sense of humor. I did about 50-50 between actual reading and listening to the audiobook - great narration by Saskia Maarleveld.