The republic of trees - Sam Taylor

One of the most vivid, gripping and chilling first novels of recent years, The Republic of Trees tells the story of Michael, Louis, Alex and Isobel, four children on the edge of adolescence, who run away to the forest to establish their own utopian community.

They hunt, climb trees, fall in love, and plan a revolution based on the principles of Jean Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract. All seems well in The Republic of Trees until the sudden arrival of Joy. Under her influence, the group's discipline is tightened, their relationships grow more erotic and obsessive, and the shadows of a nightmarish dystopia start to encroach on reality. As the heat of the summer rises, The Republic of Trees powers towards a shocking and terrifying conclusion.

A contemporary gothic fable told with the skill and daring of a natural storyteller, The Republic of Trees is a compelling and imaginatively charged tale of adolescence, the desire to escape, and sexual awakening.