THE KNOTTED TREE

A trio of people with the same destination take divergent paths in Phillips’ illustrated YA novella.

In this story, written as a narrative poem, two young men and a young woman travel to a place called Reverie. When they come upon an old, weathered tree, any hint of a road or direction seemingly disappears. One man, who’s already had trouble believing in Reverie, becomes discouraged and apathetic. The other man remains hopeful but simply doesn’t know which way he should go. The woman takes a moment to contemplate. She knows “to use more than [her] eyes,” seeing this tree as more than a marker on their journey. After years of storms, the knotted tree continues to stand strong; it can most certainly point the way for the travelers, helping them find the determination they need to make it to Reverie. (“Tis not the road that guides the way, / but courage to brave what comes each day.”) Phillips’ rhyming stanzas are heavy in metaphor but never overwhelmingly so. This brief, encouraging narrative urges readers to embrace their inner strength (the tree embodies survival as the sole sign of life in the apparent middle of nowhere). The young adult characters portray relatable feelings, from frustration and blind hope to an adamant refusal to give up. The author’s lyrical narrative focuses on the characters while maintaining a strong message: “The tree, though twisted, gnarled, and bent / is the sum of all our trials spent. / Each knot and branch, a memory, / of battles faced, our history.” DiLisi’s artwork tells the story just as indelibly: Sublime muted tones fill every page and depict a barren landscape with a multicolored horizon. The true gem is the eponymous tree, with its complex assembly of leafless branches, its collection of scars, and its mighty root flare.

Colorful characters and prose animate this succinct but expressive tale.