A review by brittneyreadsbooks
The Woods Are Dark by Richard Laymon

1.5

I have never had a positive experience with this guy and with this being book three in my Laymon journey, I think it’s time to accept that it’s not going to get better and possibly burn the books of his that I own. I don’t want to donate them and subject some poor, unsuspecting soul to the same rubbish that I’ve had to endure.

In saying that, this book was nowhere near as bad as the first two I read. (Note: even terrific by Laymon standards is still fucking awful). The writing flowed nice and quickly – it wasn’t good, by any means – but it made for easy reading. The premise itself was also really interesting; a town working together to kidnap travellers as they pass through and sacrificing them to the cannibals living in the woods; told from three different perspectives, has all the promise for a fun read.

But. It was written by Laymon. So of course, the plot was littered with nipples feeling so good as they pressed against a t-shirt, secret gay longings between best friends, legs, more nipples, rape, misogyny (obviously), and the pièce de résistance of this particular novel: women masturbating with human bones while witnesses the aforementioned rape. I mean, what’s not to love?

Again, Laymon has revolted me in his representation of women and the purpose they serve in his writing.

“You love him, don’t you?” - The secretly gay best friend says, after watching her friend have sex with this man outside while the cannibals closed in around them.
 “Yes” - Her friend responds, in reference to the man who, not even 24 hours ago, kidnapped her and left her as a sacrifice but then went back to rescue her because he liked the look of her.

Nope. Nope and nope.
.
⭐️