Arborescence

Paperback Published on: 14/01/2027
Price: £10.99
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Published 14/01/2027
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Coming soon
Published 14/01/2027
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Bookseller Reviews

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Arborescence
A haunting and moving dystopia about what it is to be alive
What does it mean to be alive? Really alive? Davis really pinpoints what it is to exist in a world that requires your attention in a thousand different dir... READ MORE
Ellie at Lancaster
Arborescence
A green dystopia out in broad daylight
Caelyn feels lost and directionless in life, Bren has been working for a shadowy company he knows nothing about. A global movement begins where people bel... READ MORE
Rosie at Peterborough
Arborescence
Super intriguing read
In Arborescence, Rhett Davis takes a gloriously odd premise—people “planting” themselves in the forest in the hope of turning into trees—and makes it feel ... READ MORE
Erika at Coventry
Arborescence
A powerful novel for this moment
For "Arborescence", Davis pulls together diverse branches to create a tremendously harmonious work. On the surface "Arborescence" has its roots in Anthropr... READ MORE
Todd Ballantine at Windsor
Arborescence
A piece of art unlike any other
It is exceedingly difficult to discuss this novel without delving into spoliers, and as such I implore you to go into this book blind to the story, just as... READ MORE
Taylor Stevens

Synopsis

'A wry tale, deftly told... transforms the anguish of our moment into hope' RICHARD FLANAGAN, TLS
'I do not remember loving a book and a story this much in a very long time' MINNIE DRIVER
___________________________________________________________________________

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.
___________________________________________________________________________

'Laugh-out-loud funny, disarmingly wise and very, very readable' NATHAN FILER
'You will not be able to stop thinking about this extraordinary book' SOPHIE WARD
'Both a celebration of trees and a warning of a planet in crisis' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A great and beautiful book that is profound and profoundly moving' JENNIFER CROFT
'Thrilling, thought-provoking and incredibly tender' CHIOMA OKEREKE
'A strange, profound exploration of what makes us human'THE BOOKSELLER

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
  • ISBN: 9780349725338
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Dimensions: 198 x 126 x 22 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Arborescence
A book that stays with you
A cult that isn't a cult springs up. Groups of people standing still, trying to become trees. Bren and his partner Caelyn encounter a group early on, an... READ MORE
Helen French
Arborescence
An intriguing and thought provoking read!
A really beautiful piece of speculative fiction set in the near future where the world is swept up in a. phenomenon where people are willingly turning into... READ MORE
Hannah Harvey
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
The importance of humanity
I was obsessed with the blurb (and title, although it’s hard to spell!) for Arborescence and it was one of my most anticipated reads of my January 2026 rel... READ MORE
KindigBlog
Arborescence
A magical transformation
Arborescence is a dystopian novel that has lingered in my mind since finishing owing to the original premise and the deeper meanings threaded throughout. I... READ MORE
KimG9
Arborescence
Reflective
A reflective book, told in vignettes, following a couple as they change and grow in the wake of a discovery that people are turning into trees - or are the... READ MORE
melissy teapot
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Bonkers - in a good way
Arborescence is a clever, surprising novel that manages to be both funny and quietly devastating. Davis takes an odd premise — people gradually taking root... READ MORE
Jan Munro
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
An unusual read
I just don’t really know what to say about this book. When I tried to describe it to someone they said it sounded like an awful premise. However, the writi... READ MORE
Helsbelstels
Arborescence
Arborescence Review
On the face of it Arborescence is a work of speculative fiction about people turning into trees. When this happens in a broken world with highly question... READ MORE
Lawrence BRadley
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Arborescence
This was very unique and strange read. The writing style was like one long stream of consciousness broken up into fragments and this really worked for me; ... READ MORE
Sophie Peacock
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
One of the best reads of my year
If you're like me and you're the type of reader who often finds themselves with a book in your hands thinking, "ah yeah, this one's going to mess me up rea... READ MORE
Abby Izzard
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Great speculative novel
Arborescence by Rhett Davis is an interesting slice of speculative fiction set in the near future when people are willingly turning themselves into trees t... READ MORE
Ben Dutton
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Intriguing and Captivating
I found Arborescence to be a quietly intriguing and captivating read—thoughtful, a little unsettling, and wonderfully slow to unfold. Rhett Davis expertly ... READ MORE
Mark Redman
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Compelling
I read this book in one sitting. I absolutely could not put it down. I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher. This is ... READ MORE
Jennifer Charlton
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Enjoyable and thoughtful
The Australian author’s second novel – one recommended to me by some Australian Bookstagrammers - but his first to be published in the UK (in January 2026)... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Wonderful
Arborescence is a clever, surprising novel that manages to be both funny and quietly devastating. Davis takes an odd premise — people gradually taking root... READ MORE
Jan Munro
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Thought-provoking
This certainly made me think a lot. I've been questioning my place in the world and my role as a consumer. I honestly have no idea what this book made me f... READ MORE
Kelsang Kunden
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Arborescence
Stunning
Very funny and thought provoking. From the breakdown of our natural eco-systems, to the introduction of AI co-workers, it covers a lot of ground and I ... READ MORE
Muddy Paws