Welcome to Litsy!

Not quite a thriller, not quite literary fiction. I liked the pace of the writing and the multiple perspectives that told the story. I thought the scenic descriptions were beautiful without being overdone. My mood throughout the book felt like the author had built in the right sense of sad. I thought the underlying issue of the boy seemed really far-fetched but perhaps it was intentional. Definitely a worthwhile read. ⭐⭐⭐💫

Although dark and atmospheric, I'm surprised there hasn't been more buzz around it. This was such a vivid read. I really liked how the author brought everything to life.

"Her face was thin and the lines that ran obliquely along the sides of her nose were dark
and seemed to hold the ends of her lips like the ropes of a porch swing."

If you‘re the kind of reader who sometimes just likes to follow around a few people that you don‘t yet know who have histories and attachments and heartaches and relationships and feelings that can take you away for a little while from your own shit, this is worthy. I‘m not a blurb/jacket/review reader so I had no idea the plot line and that was fine. Just get in the damn truck and ride around in Vermont for a short while, friends.

2¾ STARS.
MY REVIEW IN ONE SENTENCE⇢ This cover portrays exactly how I felt while listening to this...upside-down and lost in the woods...

I seriously wonder if I had the entire book downloaded...it really felt like I was missing a chunk of the story.
https://leahsbookishobsession2.blogspot.com/2020/05/audiobook-review-before-fami...

I will never understand why some books receive a lot of social media attention while others don‘t. Those books are certainly worthy of attention. But this beautiful March 2020 release seems to be sitting quietly in the background.

What underrated books do you think deserve a shoutout?

Before Familiar Woods is truly something special, full of the layered depth I long for but rarely seem to stumble upon in novels. If you like strong character development, dark, atmospheric settings, poetic details, and a spark of suspense, I highly recommend giving this hidden gem a try.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3131991687

“But there were a lot of things people didn‘t tell him. Nobody told him about Iraq. About how the enemy might not really be the enemy. Or how the fear of killing was so much worse than the fear of dying. Nobody had told him how to turn it on and nobody told him how to shut it all off.” ~Before Familiar Woods/Ian Pisarcik

💔 💔 💔

Do you read one book at a time or several at once? I‘m in the latter category. I do not know how to be faithful to one book. I also have a very hard time not immediately starting something new and exciting when book mail arrives! That‘s how I felt yesterday when the two pictured books arrived. I really wanted to dive right in!

Pisarcik is really good at describing scenery and creating a realistic setting. However, this book had two story lines that seemed tangential to one another. Both plots felt as though they could have been developed into their own book. While the primary mystery is on Ruth's dead son, the reader doesn't really get to know him - as a result I felt disconnected from the characters. This one took me a while to finish and I'm ready for the next one.