Summary:
David Barnes returns home from boarding school, only to find that the life he left behind is completely different. Lost in a town he no longer knows, David falls into a downward spiral until awakened by a reality he never anticipated.
The first novel by Christopher F. Viceconte, The Woods is a contemporary coming-of-age story about struggling to find one’s place in the world.
My Thoughts:
David's father, James, doesn't quite know what to do with his son after his grades start falling but once he gets in trouble with the law something must be done. He decides that, as a last resort, he will send him off to a wilderness retreat to see if nature, survival skills, and therapy will help. The problem is the organization running the camp is really only looking for money and not really interested in bettering anyone's child.
I will admit that this story at first was a little choppy and slow for me but once David is sent away things picked up a bit. I feel that a little less time spent on the details of David's fall from grace and a little more time on getting to know him and his growth during his camp experience would have improved the flow and my enjoyment a bit.
I think that David is a fairly relate-able character as we have all been confused teens at some point even if we didn't all become drug dealers! By the end of the story we have seen some growth and changes in David but the ending just...well, stopped. I don't know if there is going to be another book or not but the ending felt cut short and I would have liked more. Overall, a pretty good coming of age story. 3/5 stars
Author's site: https://www.facebook.com/CFViceconte/
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