In a Dark, Dark Wood
Ratings144
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings144
Average rating3.3
What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.
Leonora, known to some as Lee and others as Nora, is a reclusive crime writer, unwilling to leave her “nest” of an apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. When a friend she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years unexpectedly invites Nora (Lee?) to a weekend away in an eerie glass house deep in the English countryside, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. Forty-eight hours later, she wakes up in a hospital bed injured but alive, with the knowledge that someone is dead. Wondering not “what happened?” but “what have I done?”, Nora (Lee?) tries to piece together the events of the past weekend. Working to uncover secrets, reveal motives, and find answers, Nora (Lee?) must revisit parts of herself that she would much rather leave buried where they belong: in the past.
Reviews with the most likes.
Only given 2 stars because there was one small twist that I did not catch onto. Other than that everything was so predictable...and yet I had to keep reading, just to make sure I was right. So, the author got me to read the whole thing, but I wasn't happy about it.
This was fine. Good enough for listening to during busy work, but not that great. Fairly predictable, not very scary or thrilling or whatever it's supposed to be.
The pace was slow, but yet intriguing. I liked Nora and how she was so freakin' honest about being a writer. The story was mildly interesting. However, the ending was too rushed.
I've seen this book floating around the book community and recently saw a good review from an acquaintance and decided to pick it up when I saw it at my local shop. Trying not to be spoilery, so here's a quick synopsis. Nora hasn't spoken to her school friend, Clare, in a decade. But out of the blue, she receives an invitation to her hen night. She decides to go. The group is staying for a couple nights in a glass house in the forest. Nothing can go wrong there, right?
This is a fast paced read and I got through it quickly, as is the case with most well written “thrillers.” Problem was this wasn't much of a thriller. From the blurbs, description, and cover, I was expected to be scared. And I will admit, the setting of the glass house in the forest was enough to creep me out at first. But that's about it. The lead up is pretty quick and the action happens about halfway through the book, which had me so confused. The second half is strictly trying to find out who did it. I've never read anything quite like it. To be marketed as a psychological thriller, it was pretty lacking. The characters are pretty transparent and it's clear what's going on pretty early on. In fact, it was so obvious who the villain was, that I thought the psychological part would be that I was wrong and it was someone else entirely somehow. But no.
Would I recommend?
No, not really. I mean, if you don't read a lot of thrillers and you're looking for something lightly creepy for the autumn season, maaaaybe. But I've got some better suggestions, tbh.
