Ponder: The House in the Pines

The House in the Pines is a first novel by Ana Reyes, promoted as being a thriller.  It was advocated by Reese's Book club, whose selections I generally enjoy. This book was a dud for me but I did stick with it until the end. Although I'll admit it was page turner, but not out of fast paced action but rather from a confused desire to figure out what was going on. The introduction from the front flap of the book jacket drew me in taunting

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Maya wants to blame Frank. Is Maya imagining things? She did have a mentally ill aunt, and the threat of possessing genetic similarities lingers over her. Seven years later she sees a YouTube video of another young women who similarly drops dead in a diner while seated across from none other than the very same Frank. Maya becomes obsessed with learning the cause and refuses to accept the mere coincidence of another "Unexplained Death" per the authorities.

Maya has stopped taking a prescription drug prescribed by a psychiatrist for her insomnia because she realizes it is addictive; to some degree she imbibes alcohol as a substitute. This book has too many red herrings to describe her periods in time where she has no recollection of what occurred – drugs, alcohol, genetics, weed, sleep deprivation? Do the last few sentences seem befuddled? That is the "thrill" part of this novel – no creepy witches, no bloody daggers, no snapped twigs in a dark foggy forest – merely a haunting absence of memory and an abundance of confusion. I was not satisfied with the only partially resolved ending, either. Amazon readers rated The House in the Pines rather tepidly. I rate it even lower at two stars.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it