The Forest of Hands & Teeth (Carrie Ryan)

"The Forest of Hands & Teeth" tells a story that we can all relate to; in a setting that we cannot.

Mary is certain that there is more to life than what she is witnessing; can there really be nothing but forest left in the world. Her mother tells her stories of endless expanses of water, and an endless land that spans millions of miles across. Yet, she is the only one to believe them. With the Sisterhood preaching God's words and earning the trust of the village, and then proceeding to inform them that there is nothing outside of the forest; they are all that's left. As Mary struggles to believe her Mother's long-winded fairy-tales, she attempts to conquer her need for adventure; without hurting those she loves.

Ryan creates an incredibly intricate story, that when posed as a potential futuristic scenario, gives food for thought as to whether or not our lives will continue as they are for the, not only the distant future, but also the near future. Looking at it from a "paranoid sci-fi" point-of-view, this is in fact a perfectly plausible phenomenon that would in no doubt be linked with the works of the almighty. Ryan creates a very tense atmosphere throughout and although the storyline is somewhat predictable given the scenario; consequent to telling it from Mary's point-of-view we realise that many of these events were predicted by the characters themselves; and this gives us a unique view-point on the events, subsequent to the fact that we are in the knowledge, and on the same page, as the characters in the story. In many stories the character is given omniscience so as to spark interest in the storyline; however, Ryan uses this lack of omniscience to create a unique story that (without trying to), in a way sparks more interest for the reader through the lack of knowledge. It is, in effect, a mystery novel within a teen-horror-action book.

Rating: 4/5