These Silent Woods

Book: These Silent Woods

Author: Kimi Cunnigham Grant 

No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world. For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her—and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there.

The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred—and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding—or finally face the sins of his past.

Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.-Goodreads

Review: This book was recommended in a ‘thriller FB group’ as a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller. This book is not a thriller. There is a murder mystery towards the end of the book but it’s ultimately about an Army Ranger with PTSD raising his young daughter off the grid. While well written, nothing much happens for the majority of the book. When it’s revealed why he’s in hiding, I did have some empathy for him but I understood the actions of his in-laws. Overall, I liked it. 

Grade: 3/5