This month, Dua is joined by one of the most singular voices in American fiction – the acclaimed author Percival Everett whose novel The Trees was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. It’s not an understatement to say that Percival is having a moment – his most recent novel James won the 2024 National Book Award and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, while American Fiction, the film adaptation of his novel Erasure, won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2024. On the surface, The Trees is a murder mystery. But scratch deeper and it becomes a furious, funny, and fearless interrogation of racism, lynching, and America’s unfinished reckoning with its own past. Taking inspiration from the real-life story of Emmett Till, Percival uses dark comedy and genre subversion to create something bold and unforgettable. Trigger Warning: Contains discussion of racial violence. Buy the book at Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and Barnes & Noble Get in touch: 📩 Email us – [email protected] 📲 Follow @service95bookclub on Instagram for updates 📚 Subscribe to the Service95 Book Club newsletter – introduced each month by Dua – at www.service95.com And don’t forget to hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.