Into My Arms

by Estelle Phillips

I yearned for the scream of wind in my hair,
rain on my skin, pulse numbing cold and took to the downs,
lugged memories along deer tracks…

A conference of whispering trees, an inquisitive bee, a raging skull in search of its body, the graveside living communing with the dead, and a perilous glider accident are just a few of the phenomena which abound in this small yet epic rural tale. Compellingly told and beautifully imagined, there’s nothing else quite like Estelle Phillips’ majestic Into My Arms.

“An amazing tour-de-force – a moving story…” Tim Craven, The Arborealists

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2026

Reviews

[Rebekah]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Andrew]

I enjoyed this read about the successive generations of a family and their relationship with the trees in their orchard. It reads as a prose poem, although sections are broken up by 'newspaper' articles which introduce each new section. The writing is excellent throughout, however purely on a personal level I find it difficult to engage with anthropomorphic traits in a story, and so the idea of sentient trees didn't connect with me sufficiently to wholly love this book. I'm sure that others will do so, but regardless of that it remains a well-considered work and is recommended.

[Tom Putnam]

A consolidation of beautifully crafted chapters. I can tell they were made with love.

[Gabby M]

Just two pages in and I was struck by how deftly Phillips chooses words that perfectly fold together into striking images and movements. Being able to red the poem-conversations as separate poems and then again as one poem again is so, so satisfying and requires real talent to pull off.

The narrative threads all weave together so well, and the voice of the trees feel so unique and powerful. Every aspect of this book slotted together so well, right down to the choice of topics. The sky-glider section in particular was mesmerising. I truly, truly adored this story.

[Joe Maxwell]

This is a beguiling kaleidoscope, combining poetry, nature writing, autobiography, family history and folklore. Written in a style which is both light and dense (in a good sense), this brief, inventive and surprising book is fizzing with ideas and images, covering half a century in and around a Wiltshire village. The themes of humanity versus nature (and of nature harmonising with humanity), grief, acceptance, and rebirth are set against a backdrop which features thoughtful trees and a headless horseman. Also, oddly it is the second book this week that I have read which culminates in an ambitious hang-gliding journey.

[David Gladwin]

A poetic scrapbook of cuttings and family history. Dramatic exchanges, newspaper pages, sentient trees and ancient connections. The dialogue between past and present, plant and planet, down the years. Ghostly figures, tricksy thermals and powerless falling from unpowered flight. Make a vow, shake a bough, take a bow.

[Lawrence Freiesleben]

The title poem of this collection, Into My Arms, by Estelle Phillips is extraordinary! I won't go into details because it really shouldn't work and yet it does . . . wonderfully and movingly.

[Alan Roberts]

"Into My Arms exists beyond the frontiers of modern fiction writing. This ethereal gathering of countryside tales enthralls at every turn. Simply beautiful…" Alan Edward Roberts (author of Gentle November)

"Into My Arms by Estelle Phillips was quite a departure for me, being a short form novella but … oh my goodness … I was genuinely blown away by Estelle’s deeply moving and lyrically beautiful tale which manages to convey a deeper consciousness of the natural world than I had come across before. From a wandering bee meandering its way among the silently competing apple trees, to the profound loss felt by a graveside, to the highly emotional incident of a gliding accident, Into My Arms is a incredible work of art whose own arms I know I will fall back into again and again. And as I have been once before, I was sufficiently moved to write a short piece of music which I have called Gliding which I will be publishing soon. In store now..." David Tomlinson, Teasel & Skylark Books, Dorchester https://www.teaselandskylark.com/book...

[Lisa Williams]

Anything I say will not do this beautiful book justice. A story about trees and family, how quickly life can change and the things that remain constant. Estelle tells the story delightfully: interspersing her enchanting prose with relevant newspaper clippings. A joy.