Dua Lipa‘s September pick for her Service95 book club is ‘The Trees‘ by Percival Everett. The novel opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. The murders present a puzzle as each crime scene presents a second dead body. Wisecracking detectives Ed Morgan and Jim Davis are sent down to investigate from the big city and soon discover that each victim has a connection to historical cases of lynching, particuarly that of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was brutally murdered in that same down in 1955.
Dua Lipa adds:
It might sound like a grim tale – and, of course, the subject matter is harrowing. But as the story unfolds, author Percival Everett cleverly sends up all the usual tropes, from TV cop shows to classic detective stories, using satire to bring deep-rooted political issues to light in this masterful blend of horror and humour. He even throws in zombies for good measure.
And then there’s the simmering rage that lies at the heart of this book: at racial violence, at police brutality, at the inequity of American history. It’s Percival at his very best – delivering one-liners that will make you howl with laughter, while simultaneously punching you in the gut.
Nobody puts it better than Herberta Hind, the book’s straight-talking (Black) FBI agent, when she says: “History is a motherfucker.” And once you’ve read The Trees, you’ll understand why.”
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