Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Matson makes a vital connection between personal awakenings and the environmental and political realities with which we all must contend." Booklist
Review
"[A]n engrossing work..." Library Journal
Review
"One of those rare, elegantly written, quietly intense books." Suzanne Berne
Review
"With its vivid characters, suspenseful plot and moral complexity, this is a wonderful and a very timely novel." Margot Livesey
Review
"At once luminous and dark, The Tree-Sitter asks age-old questions in a brand-new world." Elizabeth Graver
About the Author
Suzannne Matson is the author of The Hunger Moon and A Trick of Nature. She teaches at Boston College and lives in Newton, Massachusetts.