As a young child, Naomi Shaw found magic in the woods. The otherworldliness of the surroundings and the infectious spirit of the place completely engrossed her imagination. What began as the germ of an idea soon became something more tangible. Naomi recruited her best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, to join her in the woods. The trifecta practiced their Goddess Game, conjuring their own version of magic. The treetops transforming into a grand cathedral ceiling became the home of their spiritual ceremony. The summer of wonder was soon interrupted by a brutal attack. A man invaded their place in the woods. Naomi was stabbed 17 times but lived to identify her attacker. The man was charged with her attempted murder and the killings of 6 other young women. The girls were heroes.
Years later, Naomi is still haunted by the trauma of that fateful summer in the woods. The scars on her face are a physical reminder of the tragedy she endured. The real trauma, however, isn't something that can be seen. It's the guilt that she's harbored ever since she identified the man who attacked her. The attacker's death in his jail cell reopens old wounds, forcing Naomi and the other girls to grapple with what they did. You see, they lied about seeing him attack on that fateful night. Now they'll have to reckon with the truth of what really happened deep within the woods.
In What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall conjures a tale of childhood innocence, generational trauma, and the complexities of the criminal justice system. Her publisher provided me with a copy of the book to listen to, and I was pleased to see that Karissa Vacker was narrating. Her reading of the work perfectly captured Marshall's atmospheric prose, allowing the characters and their chilling story to whisper off of the pages. Marshall employs a past/present perspective through shifting chapters that reveal bits of the truth in tantalizingly suspenseful bites. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that one of the characters in this book was named Ethan, the second book that I've read in a row to do so. I always get a kick out of that! Overall, the book unfolds at a deliberate pace, allowing the characters the room they need to come to terms with their chilling transgressions. I was completely thrilled by What Lies in the Woods.
For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2023, 5)
What happened in those woods?!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to read (or listen) to find out! :)
DeleteOh, my. They were naughty girls. I did a post featuring books with characters who share my name (Sam and Samantha). It's fun to keep track.
ReplyDeleteEthan seems to be pretty uncommon in books, so I'm surprised that I've now read two in a row!
DeleteHow funny that this is another book with a character named Ethan in it! I do like the sound of this one; I've got it on my TBR list and hope to actually read it this year. :D
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really enjoy this one!
DeleteKarissa Vacker is so good, right? I really enjoyed this one, too. It's fun, maybe a little strange to have a character with the same name. It doesn't happen that often to me.
ReplyDeleteShe's one of my favorite narrators!
DeleteOh now I want to know what really happened if it wasn't the guy they claimed it was.
ReplyDeleteRight? Talk about a page turner!
DeleteFinding all the Ethan books lol
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the book I read recently, The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma. It was also about an event, involving girls, that wasn't as it appeared and trauma.
Karen @For What It's Worth
Ooh I'll have to look that one up!
DeleteOooh, this one sounds good! I didn't care for Marshall's last book, but I did like I AM ALIVE. I'll have to listen to this. I'm a Vacker fan as well.
ReplyDeleteThis one works as both a character study and thriller. That seems to be a rare combination these days.
DeleteThe first thing I wondered when reading your review, is how the author would make us feel sympathy for a character/s that lied and put a man in jail. But I supposed that's what reading the book is about :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteIt helps that they were kids. Kids make mistakes haha.
DeleteI freaking loved this one so much. I've read all her YA and was unsure if she could make the leap to adult and do it so well also, but she did. I loved this one SO MUCH,
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize she wrote YA books. That explains why the flashbacks were so vivid.
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