I have just finished and am quietly crying as I write this. The Forest Becomes Her is a strange but beautiful combination of lit fic with body horror. The body horror is what pushed me to finish the book when it got too lit-ficcy (hush it's a word now). This seemingly strange genre blend walks the line of being off-putting without being too creepy and I can't wait to read more of the authors work.

The cast of characters range from 12 year old Polly who feels very autistic coded (especially with other people's feelings being overwhelming) to greedy and asshole-y Scottie, who while he is a secondary character plays one of the most important roles. They all feel real and complex and human. Polly makes me want to be brave, Hazel makes me want to cry, and Stella is who I want to be when I grow up.

The whole story itself is one of loss and grief and longing and growth and fighting back and family. It contains multitudes while not being confusing AND having some mystery to it.

This story will live rent-free in my head for a long time.

Dalton knows how to write a story that will stick with you for a very, very long time. I was shocked at how well done this was put together.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
This is a lyrical, thoughtful book that features 3 female characters and the only tree left after aforest was annihilated to make way for a high end sustainsble housing complex.
I liked the 3 females, especially Polly, the teenager, who buried her late mother's ashes underneath the tree and believes the tree is lonely.
It touches on the interconnection between humans and the natural world and has a touch of horror or fantasy interwoven.
At times I felt teary because of the emotional pain the women were going through.
It's really quite a beautiful story.

A highly original and inventive take on a novel. We meet three characters that are influenced and changed by living in an eco friendly neighborhood in the Northeast. A novel about friendship, relationships and saving a tree.

Oh! Just finished this amazing story. Now for a book hangover. I love all 3 female characters, broken in their own ways. The whole feeling of the history in trees is so relatable to this reader who lives in the woods. I will now walk through the woods with a deeper sense of the earth and how we are connected. Friendship, family and things not shared in a marriage fill the pages. This would make such a cool movie!

This book was so moving, I was in the story with them, feeling the emotions and the soil between my toes. It had me looking at the trees differently as I napped in Zion National Park with the words of this story floating through my head. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time.