John Dalton's second novel, "The Inverted Forest," was included on a Wall Street Journal list of best fiction from 2011. Dalton is the director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at UMSL.

Six months after first hitting bookshelves, John Dalton’s novel “The Inverted Forest” continues to rack up accolades. The latest praise comes from the largest U.S. newspaper, The Wall Street Journal.

WSJ Dear Book Lover advice columnist Cynthia Crossen compiled in Monday’s column her picks for best fiction written in 2011.

“There is so much subjectivity in judging fiction; there are so many variables in the compact between writer and reader,” Crossen wrote. “The only claim I stake for the following novels is they made me want to get up in the morning.”

“The Inverted Forest,” the second novel by Dalton, director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was at the top of Crossen’s list.

Visit blogs.umsl.edu/news/tag/the-inverted-forest to read more about Dalton and “The Inverted Forest” on UMSL Daily.