A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Thousand-Seven-Hundred-And-Sixty-Eight

 I have been reading Percival Everett's novel, The Trees, and I just find it to be such an amazing book.  I've read two other books of his and have been blown away by each one, if I am honest.  There is something that I find very admirable in his willingness to go in such absurd directions.  For example, the character names in The Trees are all crazy and over the top, and often are literally just jokes.  As a writer, I often sit and try to come up with character names that feel authentic or grounded, and Everett's willingness to just give a character an absurd or conspicuous name is very empowering.  There is so much more I could say about the book, in terms of the ideas and themes of course, and about how it is written, the clever way that Everett pieces the story together without needing to hold the reader's hands throughout.  The book is so strange and beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.  I am sure I will write something more coherent after I finish it, but for now, I am just marveling at it and trying to learn from the example it sets.  I think a great deal of what is really powerful about it comes from a willingness to just let the book be as wild as it wishes to be.

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