Mercury READS – Sycamore by Georgie Dettmer

Trev and Gary are going to cut down a tree. That tree. The f*** off tree on the hill.

SYCAMORE follows the actions of two men and two boys across the span of one fateful night. Whilst Trev and Gary plan to cut down the most famous tree in the world (according to Trev’s mum), Harry and Dillon are desperate to get their first kiss. Maybe even Third Base? But as the night goes on and the plans go awry, the stories will begin to spin out of control – far beyond their wildest imaginations.

Inspired by the nation’s response to the 2023 felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree, SYCAMORE questions the line between male brutality and fragility, where women are both desired and abhorred and the world becomes a playground for joy and pain.

We are first introduced to Gary and Trev, who reside in the past, primed to cut down the tree. That is until Trevor reveals he’s told his mates at the local about their plan. In the present, we meet Harry and Dillon, two teenage boys who are desperate to survive school by getting a kiss from one of the girls.

What brings them together is the seed planted in the ground: the sycamore seed, which takes on far greater significance than any of them intended. So much so that their own futures become swamped by the future of the tree. But, let’s be honest, it’s a really important tree.