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Tom Mathews's Reviews > The Ruins
The Ruins
by
by
Tom Mathews's review
bookshelves: read-in-2016, horror, latin-america, not-for-the-squeamish
May 26, 2016
bookshelves: read-in-2016, horror, latin-america, not-for-the-squeamish
The buzz is that this is an extremely graphic novel so I have put off reading it for several years. Now that I have read it, or listened to it actually, I'm not going to disagree with the buzz but I am going to say that this was easily one of the best horror novels I've ever read. I wouldn't change a thing about it.
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Reading Progress
May 26, 2016
–
Started Reading
May 26, 2016
– Shelved
May 26, 2016
–
3.93%
"As Stacy was hurrying after the others into the bus station, a boy grabbed her breast and gave it a hard, painful squeeze. Stacy spun, scrambling to thrust his hand from her body. That was the whole point. It gave a second boy the opportunity to snatch her hat and sunglasses from her head. Then they were off, both of them, racing down the sidewalk, two dark-haired little boys—twelve years old, she would’ve guessed."
page
20
May 27, 2016
–
10.02%
"There was a moment, just as they emerged from the trees, when the entire village seemed to freeze, the men and women and children in the fields, everyone pausing for the barest fraction of a second to note the six of them approaching down the trail. Then it was over, and it was as if it hadn’t happened."
page
51
May 28, 2016
–
15.13%
"All she had to do was go a little farther ; then she could take the picture. She took another step backward, then another, and suddenly the Mayans were shouting again, at her now, drawing their bows. Jeff and the others were turning to stare at her in surprise and Amy took another step.
“Amy,” Jeff said, and she almost stopped. She hesitated. But she could tell she was nearly there, so she took one last step."
page
77
“Amy,” Jeff said, and she almost stopped. She hesitated. But she could tell she was nearly there, so she took one last step."
May 29, 2016
–
30.84%
"There was a slight breeze, and the tent billowed in it. The vines seemed to be moving, too: shifting, whispering. It was too dark to see anything; there was just her and Pablo and the tent, and—somewhere out of sight across the hilltop—the creak, creak, creak of the windlass."
page
157
May 31, 2016
–
40.86%
"when he glimpsed the first waist-high mound of vines [Jeff] finally realized what he’d known that he’d eventually find.
The mound lay ten feet out into the clearing, a small island of green amid the dark, barren soil. Jeff stopped while he was still a few yards short of it, feeling a little frightened, almost turning back. But he still had to see for certain. He stepped toward it,
It was another body."
page
208
The mound lay ten feet out into the clearing, a small island of green amid the dark, barren soil. Jeff stopped while he was still a few yards short of it, feeling a little frightened, almost turning back. But he still had to see for certain. He stepped toward it,
It was another body."
June 1, 2016
–
54.62%
"She was peering down at Pablo’s severed limbs. Jeff had dropped them beside the backboard, planning to bury them when he was through cauterizing Pablo’s stumps. The vine had sent another long tendril snaking out into the clearing. It had wrapped itself around one of Pablo’s severed feet and was dragging the bones away. A second tendril slithered forward, more quickly than the first, and laid claim to the other foot."
page
278
June 2, 2016
–
75.83%
"“We have to get them to help.”
“They’re not gonna—”
“They have to.” “Stacy—” “They have to!”
“Stacy!”
She stopped, blinking at him. She was having a hard time remaining in her crouch, her muscles jumping in her thighs. She wanted to leap up, run down the hill, bring this all to an end. It seemed so simple. 4
“Shut up,” Jeff said, his voice very quiet. “All right?”"
page
386
“They’re not gonna—”
“They have to.” “Stacy—” “They have to!”
“Stacy!”
She stopped, blinking at him. She was having a hard time remaining in her crouch, her muscles jumping in her thighs. She wanted to leap up, run down the hill, bring this all to an end. It seemed so simple. 4
“Shut up,” Jeff said, his voice very quiet. “All right?”"
June 3, 2016
–
81.53%
"“You really think that’s still her?” he asked. “You really think that has the slightest thing to do with __ anymore? That’s an object now. An it. Something we can either rationally choose to use to help us survive here, or—irrationally, sentimentally, stupidly—decide to let rot, let the vine eat into yet another pile of bones. That’s a choice we have to make. You can see that, can’t you?”"
page
415
June 4, 2016
–
Finished Reading
June 30, 2016
– Shelved as:
read-in-2016
June 30, 2016
– Shelved as:
horror
June 30, 2016
– Shelved as:
latin-america
July 8, 2016
– Shelved as:
not-for-the-squeamish
Comments Showing 1-5 of 5 (5 new)
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message 1:
by
Emma
(new)
Jun 30, 2016 02:41PM
I think I've seen a film version...
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Emma wrote: "I think I've seen a film version..."You may have. There is one although I have only seen snippets of it while changing channels.
Excellent read. 'A Simple Plan' is even better imo.
Paul wrote: "Excellent read. 'A Simple Plan' is even better imo."I'm looking forward to reading that one,
Tom wrote: "Paul wrote: "Excellent read. 'A Simple Plan' is even better imo."I'm looking forward to reading that one,"
Great movie too Tom. Like 'The Ruins', it has cringe worthy moments throughout; book & movie. If you haven't seen the movie, suggest you read book first.
