Unfortunately, this new novel, Birnam Wood, is nowhere near the level of The Luminaries. If it weren't for the very clever plot devices and rock-solid structure of the novel, and both stories being set in New Zealand. I wouldn't have guessed they were written by the same person.
Birnam Wood centers around a grass roots farming collective (they call themselves a 'guerilla gardening group') of the same name, who semi-legally grow crops in people's gardens, but also in abandoned fields or backyards. How this would ever become a profitable endeveaour is beyond me. I mean, they sell the crops, but they also have to eat for themselves. Adding the costs of soil, seeds, water et cetera to the list, as someone who has been growing her own food for years now, I'd say they'd have to take over most of their town for this to ever become a profitable situation. But they are apparently still at it after a couple of years, with Mira somewhat informally heading the group. She feels it is up to her to improve things. When she stumbles upon the perfect solution to their problem; an American billionaire wanting to sponsor them on his newly bought plot of land, they jump at the opportunity.
Wait... An anarchist group taking money from the practial embodiment of everything they fight against? Yes, unbelievable as it sounds, that is the event that sets this story in motion.
If this all sounds too good to be true, you're right. In the first chapter written from his point of view, we discover this billionaire has more than one ulterior motive. He is, quite bluntly put, wholly evil. This was one of the most refreshing parts about the book, really, to read about a villain whose evilness is not explained away by a traumatised childhood or thwarted love; he is just in it for his own gain and nothing else.
All the other characters were unfortunately far less interesting; they have their backstory, ideals, and motivations, but most of the conflict between these characters could have been easily resolved if they'd just talked to each other. The three main young characters, Mira, Shelley and Tony, are in a weird triangular love/hate relationship that felt like it only existed to create tension between them and have them make rash descisions to annoy another character. Sure, I know people can be confused or guearded, but even the characters themselves tell us how many assumptions they are make about everyone around them. Again, if they'd communicated a bit better, half the book would not have happened.
And these characters are millenials, so they do talk a lot. These were the best parts of the story, for me; the lengthy conversations the Birnam Wood crowd has about society, politics, nature, all those things that are not working in their favour. These parts were really well written, as were some of the background descriptions. Also, lengthy descriptions of New Zealand's amazing nature and wildlife, which I hope to experience for myself one day, although I will not be camping (or gardening) on frozen ground, as these characters are continiously doing.
And yes, the plot works, the structure is ingenious, Catton doesn't teach creative writing for nothing. She knows how to pace her narrative, when to switch the point of view, how to keep the reader guessing and reading on. That bad things are going to happen, is a given from the start. But to whom? And how bad will it be?
Unfortunately, I didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about the outcome. Despite all the backstory and all the points of view, they never came alive for me. Technically, the story works very well. Emotionally, this novel is flat as a pancake.
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