In Dublin, summer of 1984, mothers call their children home. However, three children will not be returning home from the dark and silent woods that night, and two of those children will never be returning home. When the police arrive and search the woods, they find one child gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
20 years later, that found child, Rob Ryan, has worked his way up in the Garda to the Dublin Murder Squad but has kept his past a secret from everyone. However, when a murdered 12-year-old girl is found in those same woods, he must return to his hometown and his past. Detective Ryan, with his partner and closest friend, Detective Cassie Maddox, end up investigating the case, which may prove to be similar to the previous unsolved mystery. With evidence found during the investigation and his long-blocked-out memories, Ryan has the chance to solve both the ongoing investigation and the mystery of his dark past.
A main theme of the novel is self-discovery. As Ryan is trying to regain his memories in the same forest where he blocked them out, he learns a lot about himself and his limits. Knowing yourself is an important quality to have because, ultimately, you are the most important, and you have to take care of yourself. So although ‘solving a murder to help uncover your past and find out who you really are isn’t really applicable to all of us, figuring out what we value, what our limits are, and how that relates to our mental health is an important thing to know.
Another theme is the importance of friendship, and how trauma and mental health can affect it. French does really well in establishing the relationship dynamic between Ryan and Cassie; how they function as friends, how other people view them, how they deal with things together, etc. However, Ryan is going through a traumatic time reliving his horrific past, which takes a toll on him, as it would anyone else, and it affects his relationship with the people around him. Everyone is going through something different, and it is important to acknowledge it and be there for our friends to support them. Mental health doesn’t just take a toll on one person, but it can affect those around them. Sometimes the situation doesn’t end up great and sometimes it does, but it always affects the people around us as well as ourselves.
French’s writing style was very descriptive. She went very in depth into the scenery, which I liked to a certain extent. I think she had very good metaphors and similes throughout the book, and I like when authors use those techniques to describe the scenery. It definitely made me feel like I was immersed in the novel, but at times I felt it was not a necessary addition and did not contribute much to the plot. Usually, I am very good at guessing the end of mystery novels, but this one really threw me for a loop. I had the usual suspects in my head and knew the fishy people, but I was not correct in the end which really surprised me. I recommend this read to anyone who likes descriptive writing and a confusing mystery.
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