The Boy From the Woods Book Review
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**This post contains spoilers.**
When Naomi Pine goes missing, her classmate, Matthew, calls in the help of his famous attorney grandmother, Hester Crimstein. When her attempts to find the missing girl turn up empty, she seeks the help of Wilde, the best friend of her late son, David, and the mysterious “boy from the woods.” What quickly begins as a search for a missing girl turns into something much bigger, as another of Matthew’s classmates, Crash Maynard, disappears shortly after. Did the two high schoolers run away together? Were they kidnapped? Are these teenagers in danger?
A Review of the Boy From the Woods
The beginning chapters of the book focus on the disappearance of Naomi, who, the reader comes to find out, intentionally ran away to escape the incessant torment and bullying from her classmates, namely the popular Crash Maynard. When Wilde finds her hiding in her father’s basement, they connect briefly, one outcast to another. We see Naomi as a likable character, albeit sad and misunderstood.
As the novel shifts to Part Two, the direction of the plot quickly turns to focus on the disappearance of Crash Maynard. Soon, it becomes apparent that the story was not about the missing Naomi at all, but as a convenient way to mask Crash’s own disappearance.
Part Two leaves the reader with a serious case of whiplash. The sudden plot twist to focus on Crash’s disappearance gives the book its suspense, but the insistence that Crash and Naomi have disappeared together (for which we have no evidence), seems so unlikely that it simply feels…fake. That is, of course, because it is. A man named Gavin Chambers is acting as a double agent: the head security guard for the Maynard family and as foe to aspiring political candidate, Rusty Eggers. With no true loyalty to the Maynards, Gavin attempts to force them into releasing incriminating evidence on Eggers by holding their son hostage.
““Eliminate the possible and whatever remains,” Saul said, quoting Arthur Conan Doyle, “no matter how improbable, is the truth.””
However, the plot itself, is not without holes.
Who is Rusty Eggers and why does he need to be stopped? This lackluster kidnapping scheme is made all the more implausible by the lack of character buildup for Eggers. Sure, he is viewed as a nihilistic tyrant who could be dangerous to the country as a presidential candidate, but the absence of any substantial detail truly leaves the reader wondering: why do we care?
Who is Wilde? Where did he come from? As a character for who the book was named after, what are his skills and why are they important? These skills of living in the woods did nothing to advance the story and he plays a very minor role in the overall story. There was also a large buildup around Wilde’s DNA test, for which he unearthed results, yet we never find out more.
Who is David? Hester Crimstein introduces us to Wilde, who was best friends with Hester’s son, David. The seemingly deep relationship that Wilde and David shared is also never fully developed, including why David was driving home alone, presumably drunk, on the night that he crashed his car and died. This sub-plot could have been left out of the novel entirely as it provides no additional context to the overall story.
Where is Matthew? The entire novel was started over Matthew’s concern for the missing Naomi. However, as a character, he simply disappears in the latter half of the novel. In one fleeting scene, Crash visits Matthew’s house at night to apologize for what he had done. Why does no one ask Matthew if he has seen Crash? What did Crash want that night?
Why does Wilde leave with Ava O’Brien? Aside from the simply obvious fact that that is not how international travel works, there seems to be no reason or motive for Wilde to spontaneously leave the country. In fact, it feels wildly out of character for a man who claims to need solo time in the forest to recharge and does not enjoy making lasting connections with women.
In most ways, it seems that many of the unanswered sub-plots in The Boy From the Woods were created to set the scene for future novels. However, with so many unfinished twists and turns, it leaves the reader feeling more tired than intrigued.
The Noticeable Lack of Strong Female Characters in the Book
At first glance, it would appear that Hester Crimstein, the clear lead female, is the strong, powerful attorney who will ultimately play a commanding role in the storyline of this book. Instead, she is largely marginalized. In fact, it seems that Hester’s true power lies in her inaction. She rarely, if ever, makes a decision that advances or changes the storyline. Her only decisive move, announcing Naomi’s disappearance on her national television show, blows up spectacularly in her face when it is revealed that Naomi was not actually missing. She is called in for representation for the Maynards, but does not aid or assist in the releasing of the Rusty Eggers’ tapes, nor in rescuing Crash. When she meets Naomi’s adopted mother, Pia, she simply shames a broken woman for leaving her child and responsibilities.
There was also the fleeting glimpse of promise for Delia Maynard. It was clear that she sensed that Gavin may be responsible for their security betrayal. However, she too, shrunk into the background and made no attempt to control the situation. Even when she announces that she was responsible for the murder that wrongly imprisoned Raymond Stark for years, she refused to take actions to correct the injustice.
The list of limp female characters continues.
Laila, Matthew’s mother and a successful African American attorney, is largely neglected. Instead, she is relegated to simply Wilde’s current mistress and “David’s late wife.”
At the end of the novel, the reader discovers that Ava O’Brien, Naomi’s art teacher, is actually her true birth mother and is spiriting her away to Costa Rica to regain their relationship. Not only does she feel the need to flee and not take the appropriate means necessary to regain her custody, but her actions are also largely negated by the final scene. Ava, preparing to board the plane with Naomi, is confronted by Wilde, who proceeds to go with them. It begs the question: Why does she need a man to help her?
Even Rola, Wilde’s foster sister, is disempowered. Although a successful businesswoman, each of Rola’s scenes seems to be downplayed by the overt statements that she is a mother, driving a dirty mini van full of kids toys.
The lack of strong female characters in the novel also lends itself to a large amount of unrealistic sexualization and, to be quite frank, slut shaming. This “boys will be boys” mentality is painfully evident in even the author’s description of Wilde, who, by all accounts is a ladies man that cannot be attached. The women are portrayed as being simply okay with the occasional trysts. Even Wilde’s relationship with Ava is flawed in this way, as he rarely references the time spent with her other than in a torrid weekend of what we can only assume were sexual exploits.
The shaming is abhorrently apparently when Rusty Eggers’ young, female aides quickly side with their boss when he suggests how to handle the distribution of the leaked tapes. Instead of being appalled that their boss would engage in inappropriate sexual behavior with a clear minor, they quickly nod their heads in agreement that the best way to handle this PR nightmare is to blame the girl on the tape. Clearly, she must be at fault. Because, after all, boys will be boys.
Is Our System Flawed?
““Man may be evil or good, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that man rarely considered the consequences of his actions. In short, man was often just plain stupid.””
The book, however, does bring to light several thought provoking questions. Hester, an attorney, defends the system, even though she knows that it is flawed. We see the flaw in the system in several ways.
One theme is the flaw in the system of adoptions. While many loving families struggle to adopt, Naomi’s parents chose to adopt her out of boredom, sending her down a road of neglect, abandonment, and abuse. Even as Ava tries to regain her parental rights, she choses to do so not by seeking legal action, but by rushing Naomi out of the country, a clear signal to her distrust of the system.
Even Wilde’s own origins are entangled in the flaw of the system. How did he come to end up in the woods? Was he abandoned by parents who did not want him? By all accounts, the foster parents that raised both him and Rola were loving, caring individuals, but yet, he feels no attachment towards them. While we all want to believe in the perfect system, yet how do you take care of failed adoptions?
Perhaps the system is most flawed when discussing the imprisonment of Raymond Stark. Wrongfully accused and sentenced, Stark was also the victim of planted evidence. Even though many other cases involving tampered evidence had been overturned, he remains in jail. Even more disappointing, Delia Maynard knows the truth of what happened that fateful night and refuses to come forward, thereby releasing Raymond Stark from the lifetime of unjust servitude.
The Role of Privilege in The Boy From the Woods
The book’s plot aside, Corben’s The Boy From the Woods makes the strongest discussion for privilege in America. The success, or failing, of the characters in this book can be largely attributed to one thing: have or have-not.
The role of privilege is most apparent in the case of Dash and Delia Maynard. Aside from their obvious privilege of wealth, Delia, through the help of Rusty Eggers and Dash, cover up the murder of their classmate, Christoper, by placing the blame on the innocent Raymond Stark. Raymond is, of course, the obvious choice because he is a poor (and black) drug dealer. This is not just any privilege, this is rich white privilege.
The Maynards’ privilege continues as they hire the famous Hester (a privilege in itself), seeking, of course, her attorney-client privilege as they sort through how to handle the extortion attempts. It seems no one is interested in an attorney until they seek the privilege that comes with confidentiality.
As we come to know their backstory, it’s clear that Naomi’s adoptive parents are also wealthy. Pia and Bernard’s privilege shines through that they were able to not only afford the adoption, but follow through with a process that neither adult truly wanted. Pia’s ability to shirk all maternal responsibilities and simply leave her daughter behind, also shows the privilege that comes from enormous wealth.
Although a largely forgotten character, one cannot quickly forget Laila’s privilege. Laila became a single mother when David was killed, yet there is very little discussion about any hardships she may have endured. She lives in a nice home that was once Hester’s (and has since been completely redone), in a nice area of the city. She is a prominent African American lawyer in the community, but it can’t be overlooked that she was an intern at Hester’s firm. Would her path have turned out the same if she had not had this privilege?
Lastly, and most glaringly, is the white male privilege of Rusty Eggers. His privilege comes from his charisma and his ability to influence, not just his friends, but to manipulate his political campaign machine to tell the story that he wanted. In this case, it is his privilege that gets to decide history.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with endless twists and turns, this book has it. However, countless sub-plots, confusing storylines, and flat characters bog this story down. The end result is a muddled mix of suspense, political drama, and teenage angst. This one is best left on the shelf.