Pines by Blake Crouch

A novel that turned on a mind-bending dime and left me scratching my head.

This is going to be a short review. I can’t say much without spoiling the book, and that is not something I am willing to do.

Blake Crouch does an amazing job taking the reader on a trip where nothing, and I mean nothing, is what you think it will be.

In this fever dream of a story, you follow Ethan Burke as he stumbles around a small, idyllic town looking for a way out. He reflects on his life, on what brought him to this place, but sadly his mental state leaves him with more questions than answers.

Ethan, in his harried state of mind, is often missing crucial pieces of his wardrobe, leaving him without his shoes or his shirt as he runs around the town. It is truly unsettling to read.

But in this foggy stumble, he finds a body and a threat that the ever-morphing cast of characters won’t acknowledge or address. But why?

Then BAM.

Just when you think things are going to zig, they zag. The state of things changes, and Ethan comes to realize that nothing, not even the ground beneath his feet, was reliable.

Pines won’t leave you hanging. There are explanations for almost everything, but even that will churn your mind.

This high-intensity novel will keep you turning pages and asking yourself who and what was a breadcrumb for later.

Hope you enjoy it… and if you have already read it—Did the twist land? Did you toss the book across the room or loan it to a friend?