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gglazer's review
3.0
Wish I could give this 3.5 stars. It was the story of a man who commits a terrible crime and the shadow it then casts when it seems he might go unpunished. It's a really quick read, with what I thought was something of a cop-out ending, and something about all the characters somehow seemed half-finished to me. But the author does a great job of mimicking the edgy suspense of waiting to get caught -- plus, he does a wonderful job of writing the dog, who felt like the most fully realized "person" in the whole book.
robinhigdon's review
3.0
Got a small way into this and discovered I had read it before. Don't you hate that?
gdhansen's review against another edition
3.0
Really about a 3.5 - 3 for my personal tastes, but a 4 as a book group read because it provokes lots of interesting discussion (guilt, morality, character, spirituality, and man's capacity for violence are some of the themes). Interesting
cclaytonr's review against another edition
1.0
About 45 characters too many. Odd story with passive characters and too many tangents.
dna0323's review against another edition
3.0
I give this book 3 stars with great trepidation, because I absolutely love the writing style of Scott Spencer. His descriptive prose has no match with any current author that I've read. My hesitation with a higher rating stems from loss of plot momentum for the middle 50% of the book. As Paul grapples with his conscience and loses touch with reality, the book slows to an idle that endured way too long. I never learned enough about Will to be even remotely sympathetic to his death.
rsurban's review against another edition
5.0
Reminiscent of the cooly appraising stories of Michael Tolkin, especially Amongst the Dead, Man in the Woods is a bbrilliantly written exploration of the limits of a man's moral code and the consequences of a spontaneous violent act. This an intricately constructed jewel of a book, where every plot development is like another nail in a coffin. Filled with a mounting sense of dread, the narrative also demonstrates both compassion for its morally questionable characters and a coldly witty and jaundiced eye towards their foibles. The novel builds inexorably to a clever and devastating climax, and is one of the best books I've read this year.
anndouglas's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful writing, complex characters, and a plot arc that isn't resolved until the very last sentence of the book. A great summer read.
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