This novel is what has come to be called an eco-thriller— while putting forth the conservation philosophy and activism encountered in serious novels reviewed here such as Once There Were Wolves (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/once-there-were-wolves-by-charlotte-mcconaghy) and The Overstory (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-overstory-by-richard-powers), Catton meshes these ideas wonderfully into a psychological thriller with great humor. I tried to see where Catton landed with respect to the Save the Earth issue, but then gave that up and gave over to her excellent crafting of character, twisty plot, and dark humor.

Birnam Wood refers to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, when the three witches tell Macbeth that he will only be defeated when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. (Soldiers cut and carry branches to disguise their advance, hence the Wood marches to the castle.) I refrain from spoilers, but I will say that the ending bears the resemblance to many Shakespearean tragedies, especially Macbeth and Hamlet. This Birnam Wood is an agricultural activist group, led by Mira Bunting and Shelley Noakes. Cultivating forgotten spaces throughout their neighborhood in Christchurch, New Zealand, limping along with handouts, bartering, and minor theft, the collective of leftist socialists pursue their eco-activism with stereotypical ardor and myopia. Mira identifies a farm an hour drive away, owned by Sir Owen Darvish, newly minted Knight Companion. The property is adjacent to a recent major landslide, which prohibited its sale as a subdivision. Mira sees an opportunity for her collective to move in and pop-up farm the land for a season or two. It is at the property that she meets Robert Lemoine, mysterious American billionaire, who has flown in to the farm’s airstrip, visiting the area that he is secretly purchasing from Darvish. He toys with Mira, offering to finance her outfit, an offer she feels compelled to accept. She is unaware of his secret project, to mine a rich lode of rare earth minerals and steal them away, stashed in equipment he has brought in to build a five star doomsday bunker for himself. There will be no bunker, as he will store the minerals in the bunker itself, and slyly remove all. Birnam Wood is the perfect cover for his illegal activities, and they can accept any flack if discovered by Darvish.

A further plot twist is the introduction of Tony Gallo, former love interest of Mira in Birnam Woods’ early days. Tony has returned from a teaching stint in Mexico, seeing himself as a seasoned world traveler and budding independent muckraker. He carries a torch for Mira after four years, but circumstances thwart the reunion he imagined. He learns of Lemoine’s occupation of the Darvish property, imagines a huge nefarious plot (which would suit his need to uncover evil global elites, thus inflating his self-importance), and while uncovering elements of Lemoine’s project, miscalculates tragically. I am carefully revealing some details, but not too much, as I encourage you to read this terrific book.

The character development of Mira, Shelley, Robert, and Tony bears much resemblance to Shakespeare’s methods. We listen in on each character’s thoughts on the action, assessments of each other, what they hope for, how they manipulate each other, and their weaknesses and blind spots. Just like Macbeth and Hamlet, their blind spots and character defects lead to tragic ends. I hope I haven’t shared too much! I urge you to read and enjoy Birnam Wood. No preachy eco-lecture here— just a thrilling read, and good for discussion, too.