In the House in the Dark of the Woods

August 6, 2018
Hunt (The Evening Road) packs this eerie tale of wayward women with tinges of witchcraft and nightmarish imagery. A woman known only as Goody drifts into a colonial New England forest after getting lost looking for berries for her domineering husband and young son. Captain Jane, a rugged stranger, finds her and guides her to the secluded house of Eliza, who kindly treats Goody’s exhaustion and wounded feet. Goody flees after waking up in the night and discovering multiple moaning Elizas bent in disturbing poses. Back in the woods, Goody is tricked by the crone Granny Someone into retrieving a lost treasure from a spoiled well. When Captain Jane rescues her, only to take her aboard an airship made of human bones, Goody realizes all three women in the woods are witches. She flies homeward with Captain Jane, who insists on a stop to punish a wicked man from Goody’s past. As she approaches home alone, Goody doubts her decision to leave the woods, and her hesitations push her toward a terrifying choice. The chilling elements build slowly rather than coming as sudden shocks, and Laird’s almost soothing tone makes the surprising twists all the more frightening. This dark fairy tale will make even seasoned horror fans shudder. Agent: Anna Stein, ICM Partners.

This grown-up fairy tale gone wrong features Goody, a Puritan woman who goes berry picking in a New England forest. What happens to her there is delivered by narrator Vanessa Johansson. At times spooky, and at times investigative, the story involves Goody's suspenseful attempts to return home. Johansson gives the many female characters their own vocal personas, helping listeners differentiate the women in the woods--Goody and the various strangers she encounters. This story is best enjoyed in audio form because of its meandering plot. Johansson encourages listeners to immerse themselves in the experience. M.R. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine