‘The Woods’ by Vanessa Savage was a completely ‘spur of the moment’ purchase, however it’s a purchase I’m thoroughly glad to have made and I won’t hesitate in the future to read more from Savage, because this was… well, savage. When I saw the comments on the cover of this book claiming it to be ‘compulsive’, ‘gripping’ and ‘creepy’, I had a feeling it would fall into the category of books I really enjoy reading. I love anything twisted and grim, a little bit disturbing and macabre, and I certainly felt those vibes from this one.
In ‘The Woods’ by Vanessa Savage, readers are introduced to Tess. It becomes apparent rather quickly that Tess is a person with a tortured mind. Anxiety-ridden, and exhausted from rarely achieving a full night’s sleep, the first couple of chapters instantly have readers questioning Tess’s past, wondering what could have happened for her to be so tense and deeply reminiscent. It’s when Tess answers a call from her father that the past begins to open up to the reader, and we begin the long and treacherous discovery of her history. Tess’s step-mother, Julia, is home, and has only weeks left to live, and Tess’s father requests that Tess come home, too. To say a final goodbye, and to be there when Julia passes. On the surface, and in her father’s eyes, it’s an emotional plea, one which would make Julia happy and fulfilled in her final moments, but for Tess, it’s ultimately so much more than that. It’s the opening of a door she’s kept locked tight for years, and despite wanting to be there for her father and step-mother, it’s clear that it’s the very last thing Tess wants to do, and it’s almost as if her mind cannot comprehend going home, not even in circumstances as heart-breaking as the approaching death of her father’s wife. But of course, Tess does go home, and it’s back in West Dean, the place she grew up, where she comes head to head with her past and can no longer shut it out.
Savage takes the reader back and forth between the past and the present, and I adore when a book is structured in such a way. I love the feel of tip-toeing between two completely different timelines. It’s addictive, and such a brilliant way of allowing the reader a secret glimpse into what happened before. It allows us to build up a backstory in our mind, giving the characters a little more depth and realness, in turn making them all the more believable.
Savage is a brilliant writer, there’s no question about that. Throughout the plot of this book, the atmosphere is dense with a nightmarish quality that really wraps itself around you and holds you captive till the very end. I think this is helped by how, in the book, Tess is plagued by dreams which leave her unable to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t, and so this gives the book a sort of murky, ethereal characteristic that completely clouds around the characters and the situations that unfold later down the line. It dragged me under, and as Tess battled with her own mind, I felt almost suffocated by this cloud of uncertainty that followed her every move. Savage is skilled at making you feel everything that Tess feels; the confusion, the fear, the inability to know who to trust. I was seized by the author, forced to listen and watch as Tess dipped and dived beneath waves of trauma and disbelief, struggling to come up for air, struggling to find anything that felt real enough for her to put her faith in.
What I loved most about this novel though, was the exploration of the bond between sisters. It was stretched to its very limits in ‘The Woods’, and put under such extraordinary pressures, I was fascinated to watch how the characters would handle it. I found the scenes with Bella to be so deeply bittersweet to read, including those the reader will discover in the present. The secrets that lay between the girls, now women, broke my heart and I feel these moments added a certain tenderness to the story, which felt alien but very welcome amongst the many other situations which were unfolding. The characters were all very interesting, each with their own part to play in the past, as well as the present, and Savage explored the bonds between teenage friendships exceptionally well. I enjoyed watching Tess, Max, Lena, Jack and Sean come back together as adults, and being able to compare each of them to their younger selves.
All in all, ‘The Woods’ by Vanessa Savage was a deeply compelling, twisted and sinister thriller, tainted with an eerie, dream-like quality that was both haunting and bittersweet in its unravelling. I raced towards the final scenes of this novel, desperate to reach the conclusion which I became terrifyingly greedy for. Savage is a writer who I’d love to read more from so I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for news of her future releases. The Book Babe is awarding ‘The Woods’ by Vanessa Savage with a four of five rating. You won’t be able to put this book down once you start it.
You can purchase your copy of ‘The Woods’ by Vanessa Savage here.
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