Julie Prince is a college student at the top of her class and seems destined for conventional success. But then she falls in love with Neil, a radical graduate student. At his urging she abandons her privileged East Coast life to tree-sit in the forests of Oregon. Julie at first regards the journey as a romantic field trip; soon, though, she finds herself increasingly moved by the lush magnificence of the endangered forest, and, like Neil, invested in its protection. As Neil veers toward militant acts of sabotage, Julie is forced to reassess her loyalties and beliefs: How much damage is done by doing nothing? When is it wrong to do good too zealously? How can she choose between the person she loves and her own sense of righteousness? Exploring this edge, The Tree-Sitter is a riveting and beautifully executed novel about the price of love and idealism.

"At the start of Matson's third novel (after A Trick of Nature), Julie Prince faces the end of her junior year at Wellesley and the expectations of her highly accomplished, somewhat overbearing mother, who pushes her to take on an internship, a trip to France or perhaps some résumé-building volunteer work. But Julie has fallen in love — both with Neil, an ecological activist who passionately espouses saving forests, and with his cause. Leaving her tidy life behind, she heads to the Oregon forests to take up her position in the branches of an old-growth Douglas fir. At first, she's convinced she's made the right decision: her meditative life in the trees gives her the peace that her hectic life has lacked, and her fiery affair with Neil blossoms. But when the tree-sitters start moving toward more violent means, and their peaceful existence is torn by tragedy, she wonders what, exactly, she's gotten herself into — and whether her own life is an even exchange for the trees'. Thoughtfully told, this story of the all-encompassing blaze of first love and an uneasy eco-activism is surprising and honest. (Feb.)" Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Publishers Weekly/i>