Yesterday was quite a bewildering day for me.  I dropped Inka off at nursery and was stuck in a traffic jam on the way home, when my phone pinged with a message from my sister-in-law.  She was letting me know about a review of The Trees from the Herald Scotland.  Which obviously I couldn’t read, because I was slogging my way through the traffic, but as soon as I was parked I got to it.  The review said:

The Trees is a stunning and vivid examination of the relationship between humans and the environment in which they live. Violent, beautiful, devastating and utterly enchanting, it’s a complete triumph for Shaw, who masterfully brings every detail of the book to life. A wonderfully imaginative story, but also a compelling social commentary, The Trees is a rarity and an absolute must-read.

I went inside, a little bit stunned, made myself a cup of coffee and promptly spilled it all over myself.  Then, as the day progressed, more kind reviews came in.  Marie Claire magazine said it was a, ‘Compelling adventure,’ and Grazia said it was, ‘Masterfully written and utterly enthralling.’  I’ve also had two quotes from authors I hugely admire, Eowyn Ivey and Stanley Donwood.  I’ve put everything that’s been said up on the book’s own page (which you can get to via the menu).

I feel awkward writing all this.  I feel awkward writing that I feel awkward about writing it.  It’s difficult to reconcile wanting to promote the book with not wanting to sound like an egomaniac.  Naturally I’ve spent this morning worrying about such things.  But last night my superstar sister-in-law did me a second huge favour, and came to babysit Inka so Iona and I could go out for a meal.  I think it’s only the third time we’ve been out together since Inka was born, so it was special in its own right, but it was even more so thanks not only to the comments mentioned above, but to all the kind words people sent me via email and twitter.

My thanks to everyone who helped make yesterday so special.