A review by oleanderwillow
The Woods Are Dark by Richard Laymon

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I'm very conflicted about how I felt about this book. I read the original 1981 version, with the stuff cut out of it, and even then it was still very disturbing. Male horror authors just can't resist torturing their female characters can they. Despite the overuse of sexual assault scenes and the rapey vibes from literally every male character (including Lander, he thought about his teen daughter having sex way too much), I couldn't put the book down and stayed up until 4 am and finished it after 3 hours. Good premise and pacing, wish male authors would find a way to write without putting every one of their female characters (including children) through rape and torture. 
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