Death From The Woods by Brigitte Aubert

Synopsis :

Elise Andrioli had it all: beautiful, managing a bustling movie theatre, engaged to be married, and surrounded by friends.  But when a terrorist bomb shatters her world, leaving her suffering from 'lock-in' syndrome, she must be taken back to her family home near Paris.

But back in the quiet suburb, Elise' new life doesn't begin in tranquility.  Young boys keep disappearing in the local forest, only to be discovered days later, dead and horribly mutilated.  The murderer is swiftly given the grisly name of 'Death from the Woods'.

One morning, while waiting in her wheelchair outside a supermarket, Elise is approached by a strange little girl named Virginie, who confides to her that she was present when Death from the Woods murdered Michael, a little boy reported missing several days earlier.  Later that afternoon, Michael's death is confirmed on the local news.  All too soon, Virginie will inform Elise that she herself is a target.

I must confess that I only read Death From The Woods after I checked that reviews on this title are mostly positive.  I bought this book quite a few months ago and since it didn't get sold in the flea market, I decided to give it a try.

Death From the Woods is different that the perspective of the story comes from a young woman who is unable to see, talk, walk and move.   She is totally dependent on others and relies very much on conversations and sounds from the surrounding in order to know what is happening around her.  The only thing she can move was initially an index finger but as the book progressed, she can move one whole arm but as the book ends, she is still unable to function on any other parts of her limbs and  certainly not her visual and her vocals.

The book has its comic moment as Elise was quite comical in her own way.  It was funny when she had beer for the first time in years and her horror to having to have another cup of herbal tea yet again.  And the time when she was in a car trip and she fell off her seat and stayed that way without having the ability to communicate her predicament to her fellow travelers, that was quite classic.

All in all, Death From the Wood is different and Death itself was quite predictable if you pay attention to the little details although the author tried to confused you in one way or another.  I am quite glad I give it a try.