Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses the use of racial slurs and racism.

Why is this novel titled The Trees? How are trees significant or relevant to the plot and historical events of the novel?

How does Everett subvert his modern reader’s expectations of race in America? In what ways does his setting read as both a setting from the past and a setting that is contemporary?

Everett uses dark humor to pose profound questions about society and people. Identify three different moments in which Everett uses dark humor and analyze why he elects to use dark humor in those moments.