A review by emmarj
The Ruins, by Scott Smith
5.0
This book is perfect and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. Okay, not really. If you do not enjoy body horror this book is not.for.you. Like, I can't stress that enough: it is very, very not for you. If you like body horror or don't mind body horror (the category I fall into) then this book is perfect in every single way.
There is a lot of psychological work in addition to the body horror and it is sooo good. There are so many super tense moments where you're bracing for the boogie man to jump out at you, figuratively, and then nothing happens. The nothing happening is even BETTER than the boogie man jumping out because honestly, it feels so real.
The ending of The Ruins is exactly what it should be. No cop outs. No ending of convenience. No rush. It's perfect and brave and I wish more horror could finish with this level of rationality.
There is a lot of psychological work in addition to the body horror and it is sooo good. There are so many super tense moments where you're bracing for the boogie man to jump out at you, figuratively, and then nothing happens. The nothing happening is even BETTER than the boogie man jumping out because honestly, it feels so real.
The ending of The Ruins is exactly what it should be. No cop outs. No ending of convenience. No rush. It's perfect and brave and I wish more horror could finish with this level of rationality.