I *think* this may well be the first thriller I read in 2020 (although definitely not the last!). I'm a big fan of thrillers, although this one leached into horror a bit more than I normally would go for.
The Memory Wood tells the story of the kidnap of 13-year-old Elissa. She's at a chess tournament with her mum when she's abducted and taking to a basement in the middle of a forest. There her abductor leaves her in the dark with little food and water and torments her. However, a boy named Elijah who lives in the Memory Wood visits her, sneaking her in food and offers a little respite. Soon Elissa sees Elijah as the key to her escape, and hopes that she can manipulate him into letting her free.
The book has a whole lot of twists, which I really enjoyed. It was well paced and dramatic and I definitely felt myself wanting to read more. The trial points of view of the detective working on the case, Elijah and Elissa worked really well in adding to the tension. However, there were a few things that I really didn't get on with in the book. Elissa is constantly being described in ways to set her apart from 'normal' 13 year old girls, and the author spends a LOT of time stressing how unusual it is that she's able to think logically. The other major issue for me is that at one point she decides to kiss her captor and the way it is described sexualises her, which as she's 13 I really don't think needed to be included in the book.
Aside from those issues, it was a complex thriller that did keep you guessing. But for me the ending was very rushed. Everything happened very quickly and some plot threads that were built up during the book just weren't explained, and I ended up finishing it feeling a little disappointed.
I gave this three stars, but if you like having a lot of suspense at the end of a book still then this might be a good read for you.
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