I thought for October, the month of Halloween, I would review some spooky tales. I like mysteries and suspense novels. This was a great "who done it," or better yet, a "who done what?" Have you ever read Ruth Ware before? I have. I loved The Woman in Cabin 10. So I had a gut feeling I'd like this to.
Ware tells the story of Nora. Real name Leonora, known in high school as Lee and now as Nora. She was dating a boy named James in high school, but this relationship ended poorly with lots of rumors as to the reason why. Lee was so devastated by this breakup that she essentially removed herself from her old life and started over as Nora.
Fast forward 10 years and Nora is invited to the hen weekend, aka bachelorette party, for her high school best friend Clare. She hasn't seen Clare, or really any other friends from her teens, since the breakup with James. She debates back and forth about whether to go to the hen weekend or not, and ultimately decided to go. I felt myself screaming at Nora in my head, "No! Don't go!" I had the heebie jeebies feelings all over just at the fact she got invited to the hen party; mind you, she never received an invite to the actual wedding.
Nora attends the hen weekend, which was organized by Clare's friend Flo. Flo ends up being quite odd and a bit unstable. However, Nora is planning to make the best of the weekend. There are a total of 6 people in attendance. Nora finds out that Clare invited her because she wanted to "clear the air" that she is marrying James.
Nora wakes up in a hospital with flashbacks from the hen weekend happening. Ware writes in such an interesting style. There are chapters that are real-time in the hospital and then chapters that are the events unfolding during the hen weekend. As Nora is waking in the hospital, it is hard to know if she is the victim of the crime or the criminal herself but it is obvious, a horrific crime happened. With the recipe of 10 years of hard feelings, 6 different personalities and isolation in the wooded setting of the hen weekend, it is no surprise that the result was bad. Truly, 4 of the 6 guests were suspects in mind.
Would you go to a gathering for someone you hadn't seen in 10 years? I'm not overly social and I can imagine I would probably talk myself right out of going. I think Nora felt like she was back in the high school drama again after arriving at the house. I can only imagine how awkward this might be, trying to reconnect with people that you no longer know much about.
The house where the weekend getaway is held is a large structure, mostly glass, in a very secluded area. Nora felt like the house was a glass display case, letting others look in to the happenings of those in the house. What foreshadowing this was! Would you live somewhere like this? I do think my dream house would be in the woods surrounded by nature but with a little less isolation and a lot less drama!
I found the dialect of language in this book so interesting. First off, Clare's friend Flo organizes a "hen night" which is the equivalent to a bachelorette party where I live (btw, Blogger doesn't like my spelling of bachelorette. I'm pretty sure it's right...). There are so many words that just made me smile as I read them, realizing how accustomed I am to the dialect where I live. Maybe I should try out a phrase or two from this book and see what reaction I get.
Nora runs outdoors as a way to reset herself, her own form of self care. Later on, her running is truly for survival. But nonetheless, back to resetting ourselves. The outdoors does something for us, doesn't it? Sometimes, it feels like being in nature allows us to mindfully focus on the sounds, sights, smells that surround us, rather than on the busyness of everyday life.
Running is not my thing but reading a book allows me to focus, really diving into a book and away from the sometimes mess of everyday life. In a Dark, Dark Wood is so full of suspense, twists and turns, that it will have you drawn in and focused, and by the end, you will be asking yourself, "what in the actual heck just happened?"
Click below to buy In a Dark, Dark Wood as well as The Woman in Cabin 10. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks
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