Arborescence

by Rhett Davis

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.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Australia, Literary Fiction, Environment, Book Club, Speculative Fiction

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2026

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was once a city will be an arboretum, a forest of millions of trees. There will be a few pockets of warm light where small communities remain, still moving, still there, still talking, still learning. And up, and out, beyond the garden city, to the bright country, to the green-blue planet spinning in darkness. This is where we will be. We will be our own answer.

This is a gorgeous consoling fable that takes ecofiction to new heights. I actually could have done with less plot, less of the messy human family drama that might have been intended to ground this story but actually distracted me and didn't interest me nearly as much as the core concept of people turning into trees.

Similarly, the idea of Caelyn's PhD where she writes two theses in the time most people struggle to complete one and instantly achieves academic fame niggled me but I had to let it go because it was necessary for the story. I would have preferred to have learned about her actual research: 'conceptions of human-plant hybridity... specifically around plant-animal metamorphosis states' (shouldn't that be 'metamorphosic'?). The text mentions the Ents from The Lord of the Rings and an unnamed medieval Welsh poem but doesn't discuss the core text of Ovid's Metamorphoses (even though the cover seems to be a riff on Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' statue which was inspired by Ovid) or our more recent The Vegetarian.

So some of the poetic and intellectual potential was side-stepped in a disappointing way for this reader. Instead, I enjoyed the binaries of the encroaching mechanisation of humanity controlled by AI algorithms epitomised by the Queue which Bren works for: 'I log in to the Queue every weekday. It grows and grows, a little like a tree, and my job is to lop off as many branches as I can... I dream of the Queue, but instead of a tree it resembles vines emerging from the earth, wrapping themselves around me, squeezing my throat' - contrasted with the organic human-tree transformations.

Possibly, and counterintuitively, the core idea might have had more room to breath as a short story or novella, dropping the trappings of a novel which necessitated too much messy family drama for me. But at its heart this is a glorious vision of the end of capitalism, the stultification of technology-human hybrids and a replacement by something freeing and ultimately beautiful.

Many thanks to Little, Brown/Fleet for an ARC via NetGalley

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dystopia with a difference, one where its layered, complex characters lead you through a world that is completely recognisable apart from one distinction: people believe they can turn into trees.

Bren, Caelyn, and their imperious cat Henry form the quiet, beating heart of Arborescence, which is a feat of world-building and emotional architecture.

Bren works for the Queue, an ambiguous company powered by random job requests, relying on employees who may be human, but Bren suspects they’re not. Caelyn is a researcher who is intrigued by rumours of a community of people who are combatting the climate crisis by standing still so long they take root, and become trees. Henry loves lying in the sun and having a full belly.

Through Bren’s eyes we witness their relationship, as their careers and morals bend and branch in directions neither of them imagined. Henry judges them silently.

The writing style fits perfectly with the strange, uncanny concept. The dialogue - poetic, authentic and sometimes laconic - carries weight and intimacy. The story is told in small, precise moments that feel like vignettes from a half-remembered dream, which reminded me of the feeling of watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the first time.

No plot point feels extraneous, even those that at first feel like departures. I need to see a recreation of the vividly imagined comic Voidstar that features throughout the novel, especially issue #273; a work within a work that reflects the novel’s themes of creation and loss so starkly I reread it numerous times to fully imagine it on a page.

It’s hard to capture the full impact of this book in a few sentences: it’s wholly imaginative, colourful, melancholic, nuanced, romantic, hopeful, and hurtful. Arborescence asks essential questions, and it cultivates answers that will grow quietly inside you long after the last page.

(P.S. damn you, Rhett, for page 273 of this proof copy. I’m still recovering.)

Already my favourite book of 2026.

[Neale · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Bren has been working for three years for an enigmatic company he knows nothing about. It has no physical address. He has never physically met any of its employees. never met his boss, who sounds suspiciously artificial. He is a Queue Liaison. He assigns people to jobs on the queue. If Bren is honest with himself, he is not quite sure what he is doing and believes that he is working for sentient robots or artificial intelligence.

Caelyn, Bren’s girlfriend, is a little lost in life. She feels she has never finished anything she started even though she has been to university and has an arts degree. When Bren’s brother shows them a video of people standing completely still pretending to be trees in a three-hour video, Caelyn finds purpose and is excited to write an article about them, and a desire to go back to university.

We then find out that these people are not pretending to be trees, they are trying to metamorphose into trees. It turns out they are not alone. Groups start popping up not just all over the country but all over the world. And then the novel takes a bizarre turn when these people are successful and transform into trees. Caelyn, who was at first belittled for believing this process to be true, becomes the world’s foremost authority on this phenomenon and as her celebrity grows so does the gulf in her relationship with Bren.

At first it seems harmless and even noble, people transforming themselves to heal the planet from the impending state of doom and sickness we have placed it in. But after over a billion people transform, with the number continually increasing, a dystopic ending looms with surprisingly trees as our enemy. Cities are turning into jungles with trees appearing in the middle of streets, on the top of skyscrapers. This enormous number of trees literally popping up everywhere, is disrupting and slowly destroying humanity, which may just be the best thing for our planet.

Davis explores the theme of identity and the juxtaposition of technology and nature (albeit an out-of-control metastasized nature) on humanity. Both are destroying our way of life. Davis provides not only an enjoyable story, with a subtle touch of humour, but two great protagonists. Both Bren and Caelyn are very relatable characters who are a little lost in life.

I think that this may be a polarizing book. The way Davis writes in short vignettes, jumping sometimes mid conversation into another. Some passages are simply one sentence of streaming thought. This can be a little jarring. But for me it works, making the novel fast paced. I loved this novel, from the different spin that Davis puts on artificial intelligence (no spoilers) to the original idea that we may come to an end from too many trees after so many years of decimating their population.

I have this feeling that people are going to either love or hate this novel. I love it!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me a story about trees, and I'll probably like it. In speculative novel 'Arborescence' people decide to become trees. At first only a few people are mad enough to do so, but soon the idea is spreading, and more and more trees appear, even in the middle of the road or in front of a shop. At last, a way to solve climate change and the end of capitalism and AI! But are the remaining people able to cope with so many of their loved ones 'gone' and will society still function?
Loved it!

[Tiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this piece of speculative fiction, we follow Bren & Caelyn, a couple who are feeling stuck in their lives. They come across a group in a forest who believe that if they stand still for long enough, they will become trees. Soon, people go missing and trees appear in unlikely places. This strikingly original novel shows us what it means to grapple with a world where the very definition of humanity is changing 🌱

I quite enjoy speculative fiction, and was extremely intrigued in the premise of people turning into trees. I liked that the dystopian world created was unsettling while remaining eerily reminiscent of our current reality. The philosophical nature of the prose and the unique ethical dilemmas faced by our characters were definitely thought-provoking 💡 I particularly liked the banter between Bren & Caelyn and how they grew to have differing perspectives.

Unfortunately, I struggled to resonate with the writing style. At times the flow of the writing felt a bit stuttered and not quite cohesive. The setting felt a bit ambiguous and I would have enjoyed a bit more world building and depth to our characters. Especially as there are references to technology advances and war, but it’s not quite delved into.

Overall, I thought there were some good takeaways from this puzzling, albeit weird 3⭐️ read! The biggest takeaway for me is that we, as humans, are in control of the destruction and in turn, are in control of the solution 🍃

Thank you Hachette Australia for my uncorrected proof 💌 (publication date is 30th July 2025)

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arborescence by Rhett Davis follows Bren and Caelyn, a couple feeling stuck in their lives, as they encounter a mysterious phenomenon: people standing still in forests for hours, convinced they will transform into trees. As this eerie belief spreads with trees mysteriously appearing in unexpected places and friends disappearing, the couple must confront questions about identity, humanity, and what it means to truly ‘stand still’ in an evolving world.

The premise of people turning into trees really intrigued me and the story did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the two main characters Bren and Caelyn, I found them very relatable and entertaining. We were introduced to several other characters very early on which I did find a bit overwhelming-I ended up making notes on who everyone was to help me remember their relationship to Bren and Caelyn. I loved the contrast that while society became so technically advanced with the existence of sentient AI-powered robots that at the same time people were returning to nature and becoming trees. I thought the time jumps early on weren’t very clear and that made me a bit confused but the story was paced really well and it didn’t felt like I had missed out on anything. For a story that really gets you thinking about life and the world I was glad to not feel stressed while reading it but instead I felt oddly calm and a little optimistic at the end. Overall I thought this was a very unique and thought provoking story, it’s a 4.5/5 star read for me!

Publication date: 30 July 2025

Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me a review copy!

[Val~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for this free e-book.
I wondered what this book was going to be like since I saw the cover and the description. I was really interested in how the author was going to develop a plot about the concept of "arborescence" and people becoming trees.
The author navigates through the relationship of the two main characters primarily based on their personal fulfillment from each one's job. At the same time, people have begun to turn into trees, which settles in motion a change in humanity and the world. This impacts their relationship directly, not only from what is happening everywhere and affecting different aspects of life as it is known, but from the inside of their relationship as well. I wanted to know more, so I kept reading, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It's interesting the way the author conveys the existential meaning of the plot that relates to our current way of living, but the writing style makes it difficult to connect deeply with the profound idea behind the plot. I was expecting hard sci-fi, rather than something almost purely existential. There is horror as well, and the sci-fi elements are present, but they are of a philosophical nature.

[Claire Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it cliched to say this book took root in me and did not let go til I turned the last page? Well the page before the acknowledgments. Don’t care - cos it did. Rounded up from 4.5, this is a beautifully rendered story that had me laughing, crying, annoyed, angry and hopeful - all those things cos I am still a human and not a tree. Yet.

[Serene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a strange read, but something that I needed.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 feel; I'd find myself in floods of tears and be unsure if I was happy or not. Altogether, I'd say these are signs of a book that everyone should read.

It took me a while to get through. The short vignette style encouraged sipping rather than gulping. I'm left remembering a quote by Herman Hess: 'Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is.'

I do kinda want to be a tree. I think that will make me a better person.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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; it felt dynamic.

We follow two young adults finding their way in the changing world together. The journey they go on felt authentic and heartfelt, I really liked both characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Loved this - fascinating to explore the concept of humans turning into trees, and the implications of that for the world and the human race. I wasn't expecting the deceptively light touch, or the humour, but it was so welcome. I thought I was going to get away without crying in this one, until the last 20 pages got me. Beautiful, eerie, sad, strange, and utterly compelling.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Arborescence by Rhett Davis

I found Arborescence to be a quietly intriguing and captivating read—thoughtful, a little unsettling, and wonderfully slow to unfold. Rhett Davis expertly blends literary fiction with a surreal premise to gently explore themes of memory, identity, and the meaning of staying rooted when the world around us begins to change.

The story follows Bren, the narrator, along with his partner Caelyn, as they navigate the growing phenomenon of “arborescence”: the idea that people can remain still long enough to become trees. Bren is grounded and a bit sceptical, working in a remote, seemingly aimless job, while Caelyn becomes increasingly drawn to—and ultimately immersed in—the concept. Their relationship remains central to the story, and much of the tension emerges from their very different reactions to this strange new reality.

What truly resonated with me was the depth of the characters. Bren is reflective and imperfect, sometimes frustratingly passive, but that honestly feels genuine rather than irritating. Caelyn is compelling, and her unwavering certainty adds an intriguing edge. Davis’s prose is smooth and atmospheric, creating a rich mood and a subtle sense of unease, alongside moments of genuine insight into emotional inheritance and the fears that come with change.

Of course, the pacing might not be everyone's cup of tea. The novel spends considerable time in reflection, especially towards the middle, and the understated ending may leave some readers wishing for a bit more clarity.

All in all, Arborescence is perfect for anyone who enjoys character-driven stories filled with thought-provoking ideas and a touch of ambiguity. It’s a book that slowly, quietly, grows on you—and lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Little Brown Book Group for free ebook and an honest opinion.

[Heiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

ahhhh, this was beautifully grotesque.


“It’s hard, I think, to know that you are the problem. That to fix it you need to excise yourself. You still want to be part of something. You still want to exist. And yet, in merely existing, you destroy. You are the problem.”

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in a day. Really quite wonderful. Several pages I took snapshots of to share with friends. Beautiful and haunting and other good words.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
quite a Laura book. like a mix of pure colour, shark heart, and never let me go. definitely a bit weird but made me think a lot

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh to give it all up and be a tree.

[Victoria Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book — it’s wonderfully weird, deeply thoughtful, and unlike anything else I’ve read. Arborescence feels set just slightly ahead of us, maybe ten or fifteen years into a future that’s both familiar and unsettling. AI is everywhere, quietly judging and outperforming its human creators, while people — still hopelessly addicted to their small rituals and comforts — bumble along in their imperfect humanity.

There’s a brilliant passage where an AI named Umlaut declares:

“We won’t need to wait for inefficient employees to attend to their addictions before performing our functions.”

Meanwhile, the narrator simply thanks the barista for the coffee. That tiny moment says so much — about addiction, absurdity, and the irreducible mess of being human.

At its heart, though, this is a love story — Bren and Caelyn’s grounded, evolving connection gives shape and warmth to a story that spans decades and ideas. Davis’s writing is fascinating — inventive yet restrained. He weaves in fragments of news, overheard conversations, and text messages to build a world that feels startlingly real. The recurring Voidstar comic from Bren’s childhood becomes a kind of parallel universe, subtly foreshadowing the future that’s unfolding around them.

It’s strange, moving, and beautifully original — a book that lingers and really gets you thinking about what it means to stay human.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. It's marketed as an eco-horror and it's not not and eco-horror but it's as much capitalist horror, urban horror, grief horror.

If you told me this was a book about vegetarianism I'd believe you. About suicide. Euthanasia. AI. Grief. Deep time. I'd believe you. But it is also very much about trees and about how hard it is to live ethically.

Slight spoilers for an early part of the book. We meet a group who are trying to arboresce. It's ambiguous whether this is even possible at this point in the story. Some years later we return to that group and all that's left are stumps. They tried to extricate themselves from capitalism. To live ethically, gently, greenly, to give back to the earth. And someone else cut them down for money.

The story is so sparingly told. These short, intimate vignettes that show it all from such a human place. But through this it manages to explore global influencer culture, AI proliferation, and a host of challenges and perspectives on what's happening.

The notions of attachment and detachment and connection are at the core of it all.

I don't even know how much I'd call this horror, or, at least, I'm not sure I find the part the marketing team are referring to as horror actually horrifying. It's more the real stuff that horrifies me.

[Hannah (DaemonGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC!

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 trees.

it follows the story of Bren and Caitlyn, two young adults trying to find their own ways in the world, and what happens when one achieves their goals and the other is dragged along for the ride.

The book does a good job of showing the side by side of how AI is impacting the world behind the scenes alongside showing people returning to the earth and fighting back, on their own way, against what the world has become. I enjoyed the style of the storytelling.

The short punchy sections that jumped about felt right for the sometimes 'stream of consciousness' way Bren was experiencing the world and describing it. It covers quite a lot of time and isn't always specific about how much, but it doesn't feel disjointed enough to lose track.

I was a bit disappointed with the ending, and felt like it was a bit weak and offered too little explanation following a certain event, but the rest of the story was beautiful in its own way. It explored grief in an interesting way and shared the different viewpoints and how it impacted certain aspects of the world.

I found myself considering, towards the end, what it would be like and how peaceful it would be to just let go and take root.

[Leon K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mesmerising modern eco-fable told in such a quiet and entrancing way, like through the soft whispering of anxious trees on a windy night. Davis acts as our interpretor, weaving a beautiful tale of a rising phenomena whereby people surrender themselves to "become" trees in an increasingly nihilistic society faced with alienating non-jobs and self-sufficient AI ("alternative" intelligence) economies. Is it happening due to bio-chemical warfare? Supernatural forces? Mass psychosis? Like the best episodes of Black Mirror, the immediately invoked question ends up being not the pressing to answer, with Davis choosing to keep things impressionistic, scarse yet sharp; transporting us to far reaching places you don't really want to leave.

4.25/5

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunningly original book. People are turning into trees - seemingly willingly and as a way to preserve the future of the planet. The rest of the world grapples with this new development and the loss that comes with it. 

A couple at the forefront of the experience navigate their changing relationship as one rockets to prominence as an expert on the topic and the other is dragged along to manage her schedule in a world where he is increasingly redundant as a worker. 

Life for people continues yet is irrevocably altered. Davis' imaginings of how daily life would change are so well considered and even quite profound at times. As science races to catch up with this mass transformation, we explore whether humans are worth saving. 

This book perfectly captures the exhausting, overwhelming, terrifying, urgent moment in which we currently find ourselves. And it gives us both loss and hope.

An incredible book. I rarely re-read and I want to go straight back into this one.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful world Rhett Davis has created. I think I would like to live there too. If only it was actually possible.

[Magpie]

Reserved for Chloe ✅

[Lucy Skeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this was fantastic, unlike anything I’ve ever read! Thanks so much to Little Brown for my copy

[Amanda Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Current status:
Digging in.🌳

[Nathaniel James · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it, grappled with some big questions. Hot, Simple, funny, slice of life all be it a bit curious

[Nyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read all year. Funny but also asks some big questions about humanity and the future.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was gifted this book and thought it wouldn’t be for me and i was wrong! it was whacky and witty and i really enjoyed