THESE SILENT WOODS

Author: Kimi Cunningham Grant

Narrator: Bronson Pinchot, Stephanie Willis

Review: Jason King

THESE SILENT WOODS SYNOPSIS:⁣

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A father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains must reckon with the ghosts of their past in Kimi Cunningham Grant's These Silent Woods, a mesmerising audiobook of suspense.⁣

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No electricity. No family. No connection to the outside world.⁣

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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 has a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books lining the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she is beginning to question the sheltered life her father has created, while Cooper remains haunted by the painful truth of what brought them there.⁣

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The only people who know they exist are Scotland, an overly friendly hermit with murky intentions, and Cooper’s old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring 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 blur, and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. When 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.⁣

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MY THOUGHTS:⁣

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THESE SILENT WOODS IS THE SINGLE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR, easily making my top 20 books of all time.⁣

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I usually don’t enjoy slow-burn stories, but this grabbed me from the first couple of pages and held me completely spellbound until the last chapter. I was sobbing through the final chapters on my six-hour drive home from Mum’s. I’ve always adored isolation stories, and when you throw in snow, survival, and family, I’m all in. But this wasn’t your standard survival book; it was about family survival, and it broke my heart in all the right ways.⁣

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You know early on that Cooper has done something wrong, and every couple of chapters, another layer is peeled away. You can work it out. He is a former military personnel, having served multiple tours, but in this little slice of heaven, he is the gentlest, most devoted father. Or is he? Haha. Cooper’s history and future in the story are complicated and controversial, and I won’t spoil them, but I will say: Should he turn himself in? Should he make amends? I am a firm no, he has punished himself for eight years while loving his best life, and, in my eyes, has done his penance. Is he a possible killer? Is their neighbour a potential killer? All I’ll say is: don’t judge a book by its cover. Ironically, that’s how I chose this book, so do as I say, not as I do. Haha⁣

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I also have to give a huge nod to the narration. Actor Bronson Pinchot, most memorably Serge from BEVERLY HILLS COP, brings THESE SILENT WOODS to life with a deep, melodious voice perfectly suited to the Appalachian setting. He doesn’t just read; it feels like he’s living it. It took me about an hour to adjust to his voice for Finch and the other women (at first, it sounded like a drag performance), but soon I was picturing the characters as he narrated.⁣

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On a personal note, this book also introduced me to Walt Whitman. I’ve had his collected works for years, but now a volume sits by my bed, and I start each morning with a poem, a beautiful side effect of reading this story.⁣

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I’ve been recommending THESE SILENT WOODS to everyone and already have Kimi Cunningham Grant’s next book, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING, lined up to read.⁣

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To finish, I’ll leave you with this: how far would you go for the love of your children? Then judge Cooper.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️