In the year 2038 Jake Greenwood works as a tour guide at the Cathedral eco-resort on Greenwood Island near Vancouver, British Columbia. It's one of the last stands of living trees to survive after the Withering killed off most forests around the world, leaving a dusty, grim environment. Jake's choices in life are limited: mired in suffocating student debt, she's a dendrologist in a world without trees. So a job at the Cathedral suits her even if it is operated for profit by the soulless HoltCorp. When a former flame suggests she might be a direct descendant of the timber baron Harris Greenwood or even possibly the heir to J.R. Holt, founder of HoltCorp, an incredulous Jake wonders what difference it could make.
Four generations of Greenwoods, all troubled in some way, emotionally, financially, or faced with difficult choices, are united by the theme of trees. In 20th century Canada that means forests, timber, sugar maple tapping, radical tree advocacy, fine woodworking, and dendrology. Author Michael Christie slowly unveils the Greenwood family history one generation at a time, going backward for most of the novel to 1908 and then forward again to 2038.
The plot is complicated with mysteries of birth and circumstance revealed bit by bit as we delve deeper into each character's relationships with brothers, parents and lovers. The complex story is never confusing, although one wonders what motivated some characters to make relationship-ending decisions. Overall, it was a diverting and thought-provoking summer read.
Editor's note: this title is available as an ebook from Seattle Public Library and in several formats through the King County Library System.
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