We Went to the Woods
by Caite Dolan-Leach
They went off the grid. Their secrets didn’t. For readers of The Secret History and The Immortalists comes a novel about the allure—and dangers—of disconnecting.
“Dark, gothic, and hauntingly beautiful, this is addictive storytelling at its best.”—JP Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before
Certain that society is on the verge of economic and environmental collapse, five disillusioned twenty-somethings make a bold decision: They gather in upstate New York to transform an abandoned farm, once the site of a turn-of-the-century socialist commune, into an idyllic self-sustaining compound called the Homestead.
Mack, a publicly disgraced grad-school dropout, believes it’s her calling to write their story. She immediately falls in love with all four friends, seduced by their charisma and grand plans—and deeply attracted to their secrets. But it proves difficult for Mack to uncover the truth about their nightly disappearances and complicated loyalties, especially since she is protecting her own past.
Initially exhilarated by restoring the rustic dwellings, planting a garden, and learning the secrets of fermentation, the group is soon divided by intense romantic and sexual relationships, jealousies, slights and suspicions. And as winter settles in, their experiment begins to feel not only misguided, but deeply isolating and dangerous.
Caite Dolan-Leach spins a poignant and deeply human tale with sharp insights into our modern anxieties, our collective failures, and the timeless desire to withdraw from the world.
Momma Says: 2 stars⭐⭐
Remember the 60's communes with their off the grid lifestyle, free love, nights around the campfire, etc, etc? We Went to the Woods is kind of like that except we're dealing with millennials. The story opens with a bit of a mystery, and does a fair job of pulling you in. It's also somewhat misleading. From that beginning, I expected something a little creepy, not quite a thriller, but with at least some tension. Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the book waiting for something to happen. Maybe it's just me, but reading about a group of people trying to grow a garden, turn compost, repair a cabin, and get used to less than sanitary facilities just wasn't that interesting. The free love is there, but it's more like a guessing game of which bed is that guy in tonight, at least for Mack. There are secrets, everyone in this group has them, but they really aren't that earth shattering, and the characters aren't all that likable. Things do eventually start to happen, but it wasn't anything to cause me to sit up and take notice. Some of it was tragic, yes, but given the circumstances, it was expected. In the end, I think this one was just a bit too slow for my tastes and can be chalked up to not the the book for me.
Remember the 60's communes with their off the grid lifestyle, free love, nights around the campfire, etc, etc? We Went to the Woods is kind of like that except we're dealing with millennials. The story opens with a bit of a mystery, and does a fair job of pulling you in. It's also somewhat misleading. From that beginning, I expected something a little creepy, not quite a thriller, but with at least some tension. Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the book waiting for something to happen. Maybe it's just me, but reading about a group of people trying to grow a garden, turn compost, repair a cabin, and get used to less than sanitary facilities just wasn't that interesting. The free love is there, but it's more like a guessing game of which bed is that guy in tonight, at least for Mack. There are secrets, everyone in this group has them, but they really aren't that earth shattering, and the characters aren't all that likable. Things do eventually start to happen, but it wasn't anything to cause me to sit up and take notice. Some of it was tragic, yes, but given the circumstances, it was expected. In the end, I think this one was just a bit too slow for my tastes and can be chalked up to not the the book for me.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House
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