These Silent Woods: A Novel
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Description
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.
Book Information
Posts
Ein stilles, emotional tiefgehendes Buch über einen Vater, der alles tut, um seine Tochter zu beschützen. Als Elternteil hat mich die Geschichte besonders berührt – voller Liebe, Schuld, Hoffnung und der Frage, wie weit wir für unsere Kinder gehen würden. Wunderschön geschrieben und lange nachhallend.
Handlung: Kein Strom, keine Familie, keine Verbindung zur Außenwelt. Seit acht Jahren leben Cooper und seine junge Tochter Finch abgeschieden in einer entlegenen Hütte in den nördlichen Wäldern der Appalachen. Und genau so will Cooper es haben – denn er hat viel zu verbergen. Finch ist zwischen den Büchern aufgewachsen, die die Regale der Hütte füllen, und nach dem schönen, aber gnadenlosen Gesetz des Überlebens in der Wildnis erzogen worden. Doch sie beginnt, sich gegen das abgeschirmte Leben zu wehren, das Cooper für sie geschaffen hat – während ihn noch immer die schmerzhafte Wahrheit darüber verfolgt, was es gekostet hat, sie beide dorthin zu bringen. Die einzigen Menschen, die von ihrer Existenz wissen, sind ein geheimnisvoller, örtlicher Einsiedler namens Scotland und Coopers alter Freund Jake, der sie jeden Winter besucht und mit Nahrung und Vorräten versorgt. Doch in diesem Jahr taucht Jake nicht auf – und setzt damit eine unumkehrbare Kette von Ereignissen in Gang, die offenbart, wie brüchig ihre Lage tatsächlich ist. Plötzlich verschwimmen die Grenzen ihres vermeintlich sicheren Zufluchtsorts – und als eine Fremde in ihren Wäldern auftaucht, könnte Finchs wachsende Faszination für sie alle in Gefahr bringen. Nach einem schockierenden Verschwinden, das das einzige Leben bedroht, das Finch je gekannt hat, muss Cooper entscheiden, ob er sich weiter versteckt – oder sich endlich den Sünden seiner Vergangenheit stellt.
4 stars This is not a thriller, but I was fine with that. It's the story of a father and daughter living alone in the woods, dealing with things from their past. There were many things to think and talk about with this book, which I appreciated very much. I kind of expected some extreme stuff to happen, but was also fine when it didn't. Liked the writing style, atmosphere very much and was intrigued through the whole story. There were a few plot holes, especially regarding the ending. It all was wrapped up in a very convenient way and I wish it wouldn't have been as perfect / a little more complex and thought-through.
Wow. At first, I didn't know what to think of it - a story about a lonely man troubled by his past, fearing for his daughter. But even though not much happened for a while, it was so beautiful. Life in the woods, regrets, fears, a suspicious neighbor, and their only lifeline to civilization cut. I loved it. It's something else. And I was crying throughout the last chapters. I highly recommend! I did struggle with the bible references though, and I must say, it was a bit weird that Cooper brought two books with him, one of them being a bible, only to later state that he's not religious - why not take a classic novel then? But that was seriously the only thing that I stumbled over; it's a brilliant story.
Description
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.
Book Information
Posts
Ein stilles, emotional tiefgehendes Buch über einen Vater, der alles tut, um seine Tochter zu beschützen. Als Elternteil hat mich die Geschichte besonders berührt – voller Liebe, Schuld, Hoffnung und der Frage, wie weit wir für unsere Kinder gehen würden. Wunderschön geschrieben und lange nachhallend.
Handlung: Kein Strom, keine Familie, keine Verbindung zur Außenwelt. Seit acht Jahren leben Cooper und seine junge Tochter Finch abgeschieden in einer entlegenen Hütte in den nördlichen Wäldern der Appalachen. Und genau so will Cooper es haben – denn er hat viel zu verbergen. Finch ist zwischen den Büchern aufgewachsen, die die Regale der Hütte füllen, und nach dem schönen, aber gnadenlosen Gesetz des Überlebens in der Wildnis erzogen worden. Doch sie beginnt, sich gegen das abgeschirmte Leben zu wehren, das Cooper für sie geschaffen hat – während ihn noch immer die schmerzhafte Wahrheit darüber verfolgt, was es gekostet hat, sie beide dorthin zu bringen. Die einzigen Menschen, die von ihrer Existenz wissen, sind ein geheimnisvoller, örtlicher Einsiedler namens Scotland und Coopers alter Freund Jake, der sie jeden Winter besucht und mit Nahrung und Vorräten versorgt. Doch in diesem Jahr taucht Jake nicht auf – und setzt damit eine unumkehrbare Kette von Ereignissen in Gang, die offenbart, wie brüchig ihre Lage tatsächlich ist. Plötzlich verschwimmen die Grenzen ihres vermeintlich sicheren Zufluchtsorts – und als eine Fremde in ihren Wäldern auftaucht, könnte Finchs wachsende Faszination für sie alle in Gefahr bringen. Nach einem schockierenden Verschwinden, das das einzige Leben bedroht, das Finch je gekannt hat, muss Cooper entscheiden, ob er sich weiter versteckt – oder sich endlich den Sünden seiner Vergangenheit stellt.
4 stars This is not a thriller, but I was fine with that. It's the story of a father and daughter living alone in the woods, dealing with things from their past. There were many things to think and talk about with this book, which I appreciated very much. I kind of expected some extreme stuff to happen, but was also fine when it didn't. Liked the writing style, atmosphere very much and was intrigued through the whole story. There were a few plot holes, especially regarding the ending. It all was wrapped up in a very convenient way and I wish it wouldn't have been as perfect / a little more complex and thought-through.
Wow. At first, I didn't know what to think of it - a story about a lonely man troubled by his past, fearing for his daughter. But even though not much happened for a while, it was so beautiful. Life in the woods, regrets, fears, a suspicious neighbor, and their only lifeline to civilization cut. I loved it. It's something else. And I was crying throughout the last chapters. I highly recommend! I did struggle with the bible references though, and I must say, it was a bit weird that Cooper brought two books with him, one of them being a bible, only to later state that he's not religious - why not take a classic novel then? But that was seriously the only thing that I stumbled over; it's a brilliant story.