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New Release: The Inverted Forest

By John Dalton
Scribner | 336pgs
Release Date: July 19, 2011

Summary:
The Inverted Forest opens just days before Kindermann Forest Summer Camp is set to open for the 1996 season, when the camp director summarily fires all of the counselors for inappropriate behavior, and scrambles to find replacements. Among the newly minted staff is Wyatt Huddy, a gentle giant who suffers from a congenital defect that causes facial disfigurement. The rookie counselors get their first surprise on opening day when the rambunctious children they were expecting turn out to be mentally disabled adults arriving from the state hospital. The entire group must adjust to this unexpected situation, but Wyatt alone harbors the fear of being inadvertently mistaken for a disabled camper. As the days go on and a fellow counselor reveals his true, dangerous nature, Wyatt is swept up in a tragic event that impacts all those involved many years into the future.

What the critics are saying:
The Inverted Forest is Dalton’s second book, following his 2004 debut novel Heaven Lake, which was a winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Overall, critics have been enthusiastic about the author’s sophomore outing. Sara Vilkomerson of Entertainment Weekly calls the book “a gripping, tender, and at times disturbing tale”. Her review concludes: “…Dalton nimbly delves into his characters’ perspectives, uncovering past secrets and future dreams (and eventual disappointments). While some of what’s described is anything but pleasant, reading it certainly is.”

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