Went into this book having already fallen in love with the film made from it (currently on Netflix in the U.S.) I had some high expectations, so imagine my surprise when I like the movie more than the book. And that almost never happens.
If you haven’t seen the movie, the book is about four middle age friends who venture into Norway for a hike through the countryside. When one of them is injured and another with foot issues from bad shoes, they decide to take a shortcut through forest which would cut a day off of their hike. The forest ends up being difficult to walk through and they end up lost among ancient trees and abandoned buildings. One by one, the end up dying until only one remains and he is taken by people who live in that wood.
The book starts in the middle of the hike when the foursome decides to detour through the woods. For the first two thirds of the story, the book is engrossing. Terrifying. Hard to put down even as the reader realizes that none of the characters are redeemable.
The final third of the story, once the last remaining character is taken by the group of people who live in the forest and worship the ancient creature that resides there, is terrible. Long winded. Repetitive. The same scenario plays out a number of times as the character we are following falls asleep, has a bad dream, wakes and has an argument with another person, and falls asleep again. This goes on for way too long. I skimmed for twenty pages, and he was still living out the same scene, and not even in an interesting Groundhog Day kind of way.
I ended this book wondering how this slipped past an editors stern eye. How a publisher picked it up as is without telling the author the cut out 10,000 words. Anyhoo, the first half is wonderful and the second half is not. My suggestion is to watch the movie, which actually gives the characters reason and accountability. The book does not. The book worries more about their survival than their personalities.
Two and a half stars out of five on this one.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
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Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
Went into this book having already fallen in love with the film made from it (currently on Netflix in the U.S.) I had some high expectations, so imagine my surprise when I like the movie more than the book. And that almost never happens.
If you haven’t seen the movie, the book is about four middle age friends who venture into Norway for a hike through the countryside. When one of them is injured and another with foot issues from bad shoes, they decide to take a shortcut through forest which would cut a day off of their hike. The forest ends up being difficult to walk through and they end up lost among ancient trees and abandoned buildings. One by one, the end up dying until only one remains and he is taken by people who live in that wood.
The book starts in the middle of the hike when the foursome decides to detour through the woods. For the first two thirds of the story, the book is engrossing. Terrifying. Hard to put down even as the reader realizes that none of the characters are redeemable.
The final third of the story, once the last remaining character is taken by the group of people who live in the forest and worship the ancient creature that resides there, is terrible. Long winded. Repetitive. The same scenario plays out a number of times as the character we are following falls asleep, has a bad dream, wakes and has an argument with another person, and falls asleep again. This goes on for way too long. I skimmed for twenty pages, and he was still living out the same scene, and not even in an interesting Groundhog Day kind of way.
I ended this book wondering how this slipped past an editors stern eye. How a publisher picked it up as is without telling the author the cut out 10,000 words. Anyhoo, the first half is wonderful and the second half is not. My suggestion is to watch the movie, which actually gives the characters reason and accountability. The book does not. The book worries more about their survival than their personalities.
Two and a half stars out of five on this one.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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