In a Dark Dark Wood

By Ruth Ware

Although this is the second book by Ruth Ware I've read, it's her debut.  I did enjoy this, but struggled to get through parts of it.  It's nowhere near as good as her second novel, The Woman in Cabin 10.

In a Dark Dark Wood is about a young woman named Nora, who hasn't seen her best friend from school, Clare, in over ten years.  She is surprised, therefore, when an invitation to Clare's hen party arrives.  It seems like the perfect opportunity to catch up and reconnect, but something goes very, very wrong.

The setting is similar to Ware's second novel, which is set on a cruise ship.  In a Dark Dark Wood is set in a luxurious cottage deep in the Northumbrian woods. Like the cruise ship setting, this often gave me a sense of cabin fever.  A large portion is also set in a hospital, with the events of the novel being explored through flashbacks.  I didn't particularly like this way of telling the story, as it took much of the suspense away.  Also, for the first half of the book, NOTHING happens whatsoever.  The book is marketed as a thriller, and so with every new chapter, I kept thinking that something exciting was going to happen, but it just didn't.  Then, eventually, when it did, we are whisked to a hospital a day later with the flashbacks beginning.

The characters in this book were quite weird in that I don't know whether I liked or disliked them.  The main character, Nora, was a bit annoying.  Clare was likeable, but I didn't find her that interesting.  Tom was the same.  Flo, I found the most interesting although she was instantly dislikable.  Her obsession with Clare was weird.  The way she spoke was weird.  I thought she was up to something the entire book.  

One thing Ruth Ware is good at is her ability to create a mystery.  Like her other book I've read, I had absolutely no clue who was behind the events of the book.  But I just simply didn't enjoy this as much; I struggled to get through this and it took me over a week and a half to read.  The characters and setting just didn't draw me in.  

Although I didn't think this was brilliant, I am looking forward to Ruth Ware's new thriller due out this year.

Rating: 6/10

Date read: May 2017.