In a Dark, Dark Woodby Ruth Ware
(Edited) Blurb:
Nora hasn't seen Clare for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back. Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen do arrives. Is this a chance for Nora to finally put her past behind her? But something goes wrong. Very wrong. Some things can’t stay secret for ever.
My Reaction:
I believe this is the third work of this author's that I've read (following The Death of Mrs. Westaway and The Woman in Cabin 10), so I knew what to expect. Overall, the first half of In a Dark, Dark Wood was better than the other two books, from what I remember, but the second half dragged. Moreover, the mystery element was one of the most predictable I've come across recently, and because it was so obvious, the second half lacked much in the way of suspense. A less seasoned reader might possibly find it more suspenseful.
Some nitpicks (with SPOILERS aplenty):
-- I hated the use of cocaine and its normalization. Honestly, I don't even see the appeal of getting drunk, but I accept that I'm apparently in the minority on that one-- but cocaine? Is that really so commonplace these days? I'm sorry, but it's an idiotic thing to do, and yes, I "judge" people who use it.
-- With friends like these, who needs enemies? Rarely has the cliche been more apt!
-- Ugh, the politically correct approach to abortion. It was extremely predictable that the backstory included an abortion. I get that people have abortions, but Nora was needlessly callous: "And whatever people might think, it wasn't this [the abortion] that f****d me up. I don't feel a crucifying guilt over the loss of a cluster of cells. I refuse to feel guilty." Ah, "cluster of cells"! The author will get special P.C. points for that one! Wouldn't want your main character to flinch or even pause a moment to reflect on the ramifications of her "decision". Great way to make your lackluster protagonist even less sympathetic.
-- Even with such a small cast of characters, we still managed to tick three boxes out of "LGBT". (And if this had been written a few years later, what with the shift in emphasis in the media, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been four for four!) It's just a bit statistically unrealistic that three would be represented, and the casual revelation that James was bi felt strange and irrelevant.
-- Speaking of James, I guess he really had changed a lot, since he was engaged to Clare, was now "brand-conscious", drank fancy coffee (?), blah blah blah. It doesn't matter, I guess, but it's annoying.
-- Clare is about the same age as Nora, right? So, twenty-six, give or take a few months? When she shows up, near the end of the novel, fresh from the hospital, "she holds herself like someone twice her age"... So, like someone who's fifty-two? Has Nora (or the author) ever met someone in her early fifties? Because they're mostly still decently fit and able-bodied. Your body doesn't just break down immediately after the big 5-0 and leave you "holding yourself"/carrying yourself/moving in a noticeably different way. That truly is a nitpick, but it just irritated me for some reason.
-- So many things don't make sense! Too many things had to happen "just so" for Clare's crazy plan to work out-- and Clare's reason that James has to die is over-the-top insane, too. I know, I know. Characters like this have to exist in this type of book, but... Sometimes it's skillfully executed, sometimes not.
-- Perhaps the worst flaw is Nora's incredible stupidity. She herself repeatedly berates herself for being so stupid, and reading along, I could only nod in agreement. At one point, she goes through the list of possible suspects-- a very short list-- painfully (oh-so-boringly) tallying up the evidence against each one. However, she leaves out the most obvious suspect! There's some flimsy excuse for why she's not even considering Clare, but it is extremely flimsy and easily explained away (as, in fact, it eventually is, in the "summing up" portion of the book).
Even if you can excuse Nora for not seeing that her old friend is a sociopath and the ultimate "user" (and always has been, for as long as she's known her), how do you explain this? Clare has revealed herself to Nora as the killer. They're alone in an isolated location. Clare offers to make tea and casually reveals that she has heavy-duty painkillers from the hospital. And yet! Nora accepts a tea that Clare made for her in another room! Unbelievably, Nora tastes the tea. It's "bitter" and "vile", but hey, she's never really liked the taste of tea, so she drinks it anyway. Gulp, gulp, gulp. Nora notices she's having trouble thinking, her head hurts, she feels strange, and there's a vile taste in her mouth. Brilliant crime-writer Nora's reaction: "I take another gulp of tea to try to swill it away, but the taste only intensifies." And then she keeps on drinking, all through Clare's confession scene!! It's not until she feels lightheaded, stands, drops the cup, and actually sees the white residue of the pills in the dregs of her spilled tea that she finally realizes that Clare has drugged her. (At that point, I'm surprised she didn't just think, "Hm, strange-looking tea. Must be some exotic blend that Clare imports specially from China!" --And then ask for another cup!)
...I refuse to believe in such staggering stupidity. Please, tell me this isn't possible.
-- The beginning was entertaining. Too bad it all falls apart in the second half!
