Overview

What makes a person want to be a tree? Bren and his partner Caelyn are feeling at a standstill in their lives. One day they come across a video of people in the forest who believe that if they stand still for long enough they will transform into trees. The idea is absurd. But it's spreading. Soon, people start to go missing and trees appear in unlikely places. As cities decay and the world becomes greener, Caelyn becomes more and more convinced that arborescence is exactly what will save the planet from human destruction. Bren isn't so sure. Drifting apart, Bren and Caelyn are forced to question what it really means to be human - and if they are ready to stand still. '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

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9780349725314

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Reviews

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 *

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 * 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 * 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 * 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 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 * 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 * 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 *

Author Information

Rhett Davis holds an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and a PhD in creative writing from Deakin University. In 2020, he won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. His debut novel, Hovering, was published in 2022, and was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel. Rhett has lived in several places but always finds his way back to Geelong, where he lives with his partner and two talkative cats.

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