The House in the Pines: A Novel

Product Information

Touching on mental illness, addiction, gaslighting and emotional abuse, Reyes delivers a gripping read. In an interview with The Mystery of Writing, Reyes said her novel was inspired by a cabin that she’s been thinking about for a long time. Hearing about this experience was comforting to Reyes, especially during the pandemic when so much was up in the air. But, despite her being present when it happened, there are no viable clues with which to make a case, and folks thought her nuts for even trying.

This is very strange, as her best friend, Aubrey, suddenly died in front of this same ex boyfriend, named Frank. Her boyfriend Dan is supportive towards Maya's grief, but Maya knows that she needs to learn how to cope with these memories.I do enjoy debut and while the premise drew me in, the writing felt uneven/choppy and the transitions weren't smooth sailing.

years later she sees a video posted online where another woman seemingly just keels over and dies while also in Frank’s presence and Maya knows she has to get to the bottom of what Frank is doing to these people. After seven years later, she has Klonopin withdrawals, hiding the truth from her boyfriend Dan she’s living with, suffering insomnia and obsession about a YouTube video that shows a young painter named Cristina dies behind her boyfriend’s eyes as they sit at the dinner. The events of that summer were truly traumatic and it definitely had lasting repercussions on her life.If you enjoy psychological thrillers with an unreliable narrator, then this may be the book for you. There's something about the writing that is so sensuous and transportive, while also filled with an underlying sense of dread.

I think the most helpful thing I can say about The House in the Pines is that if you want to read it, you might enjoy it more if you don’t think of it as a thriller at all. In the past, some mystery and thriller readers have been left a bit perplexed by some of Reese’s “thriller” picks. I am a former English major who does love a literary book, but I don’t think that literary writing and thrillers are always a good combination. It focused on the themes of friendship, family, addiction, mother/daughter relationships, infatuations, trust, being honest with those we love and believing in ourselves. The main character struggled with very real, relatable things in her life, which made her feel close the entire time.

After a disastrous dinner at her boyfriend's parent's house, Maya knows she can't live with not knowing the truth any longer. This novel, set in the 1950’s, follows a young woman named Noemi as she travels into the Mexican countryside after receiving a concerning letter from her cousin. It’s truly a wild ride that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the perfect way to kick off your year of reading.

Also, the present timeline kept the characters shallow whereas in the past they had more depth to them. Seven years have passed, and Maya has a secret addiction to klonopin which she has been keeping secret from her boyfriend, Ben.Was this a “meta” thing where I was supposed to be as confused as main character Maya, a pill-popping, gin-swilling Gen Z who is convinced that a mysterious older guy she was involved with as a teen caused her best friend to drop dead for no apparent reason seven years ago? Reyes reacted to her book’s selection on Instagram, writing, “I don’t have the words right now for how thrilled and honored I am to make this announcement. I recommend reading this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers and you can get over a slow pace in the middle of the middle of the book. I’ve stuck with this class longer than any other place where I’ve worked as an adjunct because I just love it.