Arborescence

I do not remember loving a book and a story this much in a very long time... it felt like something that had happened; a lived fiction, and beyond the weird familiarity of people being trees, it made me laugh so much * Minnie Driver *
You will not be able to stop thinking about this extraordinary book. A thrilling page-turner for our times, that both chills and provokes * Sophie Ward, author of Love and Other Thought Experiments *
A wry tale, deftly told, of people around the world planting themselves and growing into trees as an act of defiance. Light and lovely, it transforms the anguish of our moment into a fable of hope -- Richard Flanagan * Times Literary Supplement *
Both a celebration of trees and a warning of a planet in crisis... Davis grounds the speculative elements of the story in strong characterisation and relatable contemporary concerns -- Lucy Popescu * Financial Times *
A strange, profound exploration of what makes us human * The Bookseller *
People turn into trees in this curious eco satire... an even-tempered, quietly satirical speculative novel * Guardian *
Thrilling, thought-provoking, and incredibly tender... I devoured it whole * Chioma Okereke, author of Water Baby *
A great and beautiful book that is profound and profoundly moving. Airy, light, witty, with the frankness of a Sally Rooney novel and the delicate strangeness of Olga Tokarczuk. I couldn't have been more entranced * Jennifer Croft, author of Homesick *
A dazzling blend of cosmic eco-horror and arthouse sci-fi, Arborescence is one of the most profound and beautiful books you'll ever read. A devastating and unforgettable elegy for the planet * Chris Flynn, author of Orpheus Nine *
Both an excoriating lambast of end-stage-capitalism and a truly tender love letter to the human species. It's laugh-out-loud funny, disarmingly wise and very, very readable * Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall *
Original, mind-bending and uplifting. I loved this beautiful, feral book so much, I wanted to walk into its pages and never look back * Inga Simpson, author of The Thinning *
As absurd as it is utterly convincing, this is a book about holding onto love in a world of seismically shifting reality. In other words, a book about us, a book about now. It's brilliant * Shaun Tan, author of Tales of Light and Dark *
I did not know how much I needed a novel like Arborescence. On one level, it's a beguiling story about humans who metamorphose to save the warming planet. On another level, it's a cri de coeur, written with tenderness for all who wonder how this ends. Arborescence is a tremendously moving affirmation of what's worth saving - love, family, clean air, and silence. I wept through the last fifty pages * Amity Gaige, author of Heartwood *
A strange and compelling exploration of our current moment. Arborescence is part Sally Rooney, part Stephen King. It reads like a thriller but has the tenderness and insight of poetry * Ben Rawlence, author of The Treeline *
A balm and an urgent whisper of hope. This is a book to help us believe that all is not lost. Extraordinary * Kate Mildenhall, author of The Hummingbird Effect *
Intelligent and thoughtful... a dystopian world that feels simultaneously too close to home and impossibly science fiction, yet leaves you with an almost utopian feeling of solace and optimism. A philosophical book about the very nature of being human and the future of our species, but also a personal story of love, loss, and redemption * Lisa Ridzén, author of When the Cranes Fly South *
Strikingly original, offbeat, and haunting. Vincenzo Latronico's Perfection meets Han Kang's The Vegetarian in this novel about what remains possible in the midst of the soft apocalypse. Rhett Davis's account of a couple's respective responses to life on an increasingly hostile planet is fantastically unsettling * Gina Chung, author of Sea Change and Green Frog *
Thoughtful and original, Rhett Davis' novel offers a poignant and delightful lens on the absurdity and futility of 21st century life * Tyler Wetherall, author of Amphibian *
Inventive... a generous act of writing... If you're looking for something that's clever, that won't bum you out, that's beautifully written, then this might be the one for you * ABC Radio National *
Arborescence is speculative fiction at its best: an end-of-world story that offers green leaves of hope * ArtsHub *
Prepare yourself for a weird one... Rhett Davis is a skilled and playful writer with an eye for the absurd and the profound... an unforgettable tale * Qantas Magazine *
Davis' signature narrative playfulness and dryly humorous dialogue is always on hand to help sweep us further into the story . . . Arborescence is a reminder of the special way fictional worlds can allow readers to retreat from, and find the fortitude to return to, their own world * The Age *
Intriguing, utterly original . . . leaves a lasting impression and rings with unsettling questions * Readings, Book of the Month *
With Davis' sharp eye and irreverent humour, the genre-blurring story branches into the tangled roots of suburban life and the natural world * Sydney Morning Herald *
A fascinating exploration of what it is to be human... superbly paced and intriguing... the perfect book to start the new year * Buzz Magazine *
Profound, moving, powerful... a celebration of the environment, but also of humanity even at its messiest * Fantasy Hive *