Birnam Wood

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FROM THE WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE Birnam Wood is on the move... Five years ago, Mira Bunting founded a guerrilla gardening group: Birnam Wood. An undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gathering of friends, this activist collective plants crops wherever no one will notice, on the sides of roads, in forgotten parks, and neglected backyards. For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira stumbles on an answer, a way to finally set the group up for the long term: a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass, cutting off the town of Thorndike. Natural disaster has created an opportunity, a sizable farm seemingly abandoned. But Mira is not the only one interested in Thorndike. Robert Lemoine, the enigmatic American billionaire, has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker - or so he tells Mira when he catches her on the property. Intrigued by Mira, Birnam Wood, and their entrepreneurial spirit, he suggests they work this land. But can they trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust each other? A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its wit, drama and immersion in character. A brilliantly constructed consideration of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is an unflinching examination of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.
Photo of Jan Jackson
Jan JacksonMay 24, 2026
4.5 stars
Easy read
Fast paced
Surprising
Photo of Patty Pforte
Patty PforteSep 8, 2024
4 stars
This review contains a spoiler
Deceptive
Suspenseful
Thrilling
Intense
Long winded
Photo of Madi
MadiJan 20, 2024
4.5 stars
Photo of Margo Koss
Margo KossJan 15, 2024
Creative
Thought provoking
Thrilling
Photo of Ali Angco
Ali AngcoAug 15, 2023
4.5 stars
Suspenseful
Original
Surprising
Photo of Laura Dobie
Laura DobieApr 27, 2024
4 stars
Addictive
Ambitious
Compelling
Vivid
Clever
Dark
Original
Photo of Adam
AdamApr 24, 2024
4 stars
Photo of Claudia
ClaudiaApr 9, 2024
4 stars
Conceptual
Tragic
Surprising
Photo of Navya R
Navya RJan 19, 2024
4 stars
Thought provoking
Surprising