Greenwood: A Novel

"One of Canada’s most acclaimed novelists charts a magnificent generational saga that tells the rise and fall of a family, its secrets and inherited crimes. Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, this rugged and riveting novel by Christie will satisfy fans of Richard Powers’s The Overstory," raved Publishers Weekly in a starred review.

The story unfolds in various time periods, from 1934 to 2038, following different members of the Greenwood family. Jacinda (Jake) Greenwood is a storyteller and a liar, overseeing wealthy tourists in one of the last remaining forests in the world. Liam Greenwood, in 2008, is a carpenter recovering from a workplace accident, while Willow Greenwood, in 1974, is released from jail after being imprisoned for her environmental protests. And in 1934, Everett Greenwood becomes entangled in a crime that will haunt the family for decades.

Throughout the narrative, the presence of trees acts as a guiding metaphor for withering, weathering, and survival. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that money, love, wood, and blood are at the core of the family's bonds and breaking points. Greenwood is a rain-soaked and sun-dappled novel that intricately weaves together the hopeful and impossible task of growing toward the light. The New York Times Book Review noted that "there are plenty of visionary moments laced into [Christie’s] shape-shifting narrative." With effortless prose, Christie penetrates to the core of things, making Greenwood a superb family saga.

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