Genre Fiction
![Kimi Cunningham Grant - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_kimi_cunningham_grant.jpg)
These Silent Woods
A father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains must reckon with the ghosts of their past in Kimi Cunningham Grant's These Silent Woods, a mesmerizing novel of suspense.
No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world.
For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin's shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she's starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her―and he's still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there.
The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred―and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch's growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding―or finally face the sins of his past.
Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.
No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world.
For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin's shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she's starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her―and he's still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there.
The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred―and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch's growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding―or finally face the sins of his past.
Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.
Editorial Reviews
People Magazine's "Best New Books" November 2021
One of the "Biggest Mysteries and Thrillers for 2021"―Goodreads
One of the "Best New Books to Read" --New York Post
One of the "Best New Books of October 2021"--PopSugar.com
One of the "20 Fall and Winter Releases to Have on Your Radar"--Bookish.com
One of the "October Mysteries & Thrillers to Know"--Bookriot.com
One of the "26 Best New Books for This Fall"―Country Living
One of the "Outstanding Thriller Book Releases 2021"--TheNerdDaily.com
One of the "Latest Mysteries, Debuts, Holiday Tales and Reimaginings from Down South" ―Deep South Magazine
"A secretive Army vet and his precocious daughter have lived eight years in the Appalachian wilderness―until a mysterious stranger intrudes." --People Magazine
"Your next must read." –Country Living
"If you want suspense, atmospheric, a remote setting, and a character-driven narrative with an ending you'll be thinking about long after finishing, this is absolutely your next read." –Book Riot
"[A] multilayered work of suspense...Grant anchors the novel with penetrating creativity and striking originality, augmented by enduringly memorable characters and precise, occasionally lyrical prose. At once heartbreaking and harrowing, redemptive and riveting." –Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Grant's lyrical writing and a deep understanding of her characters propel These Silent Woods…[an] emotional story that gains heart-pounding suspense when the outside world intrudes." –Shelf Aw...
One of the "Biggest Mysteries and Thrillers for 2021"―Goodreads
One of the "Best New Books to Read" --New York Post
One of the "Best New Books of October 2021"--PopSugar.com
One of the "20 Fall and Winter Releases to Have on Your Radar"--Bookish.com
One of the "October Mysteries & Thrillers to Know"--Bookriot.com
One of the "26 Best New Books for This Fall"―Country Living
One of the "Outstanding Thriller Book Releases 2021"--TheNerdDaily.com
One of the "Latest Mysteries, Debuts, Holiday Tales and Reimaginings from Down South" ―Deep South Magazine
"A secretive Army vet and his precocious daughter have lived eight years in the Appalachian wilderness―until a mysterious stranger intrudes." --People Magazine
"Your next must read." –Country Living
"If you want suspense, atmospheric, a remote setting, and a character-driven narrative with an ending you'll be thinking about long after finishing, this is absolutely your next read." –Book Riot
"[A] multilayered work of suspense...Grant anchors the novel with penetrating creativity and striking originality, augmented by enduringly memorable characters and precise, occasionally lyrical prose. At once heartbreaking and harrowing, redemptive and riveting." –Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Grant's lyrical writing and a deep understanding of her characters propel These Silent Woods…[an] emotional story that gains heart-pounding suspense when the outside world intrudes." –Shelf Aw...
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle Elizabeth
Very well written. Almost as easy as a conversation with a friend. Good story. You'll like it. I'll read more of her books because she writes the way I like to read!
CineKindle Eliza
I seen this going another way and I'm so glad it didn't. I loved it so much, ending made me cry
Tina JohnsonCineK
Though the story line may be stretching it a bit. Ms. Grant has a way with with pulling you in with her ability to bring her characters to life.
AVI RONTina Johns
The story of a father who did what he had to live with her daughter. A nice story, well told, fun read and heart warming. The characters are well described, and you get to like them all.
M D TuchAVI RONTi
I believe that the most reliable way to hook a reader is to coerce that reader to invest in the wellbeing of the major characters. Author Grant does this expertly in ‘These Silent Woods’. Cooper is an Afghanistan war vet that has a serious case of PTSD. Finch, his daughter, is eight years old as the story takes place, deep in the woods in a secluded cabin, told in Cooper’s POV. The father has had a tough time, not only in war but also by the tragic loss of Finch’s mother in an accidental car crash. Finch was an infant at that time. Cooper had to fight Child Protective Services and the mother’s parents to keep his child. They flee deep into the woods and live off the grid there with the aid of Cooper’s best friend Jake, who delivers supplies to them once a year. Life in the deep woods is idyllic even though the nearest neighbor, Scotland makes himself more present than Cooper would like. Once the reader has attached with the father-daughter duo, everything is emotionally point on. He must not be recognized for fear of losing his precious Finch. Even a trip to the town Walmart is riveting. Not so without the connection, being attached to their lives, with the plot. Things get dicey after Jake inexplicably fails to resupply them one autumn. Their secret lives are further complicated by the sighting of a young woman taking photos near their cabin. The author spins a lovely story in an easy-to-follow narrative populated by flawed protagonists that are very likeable. I even wanted to find out the backstory on Cooper, and the story of how they came to choose such isolated lives. Pages zoomed by. The ending is a bit suspect, maybe a little belief must be suspended but it is emotionally satisfying. It’s not a perfect story, but the flaws are only superficial and the emotion that it stirs make it a wonderful book.
