I just recently finished reading a very nifty little novel called The Ruins by Scott Smith. I heard about it while surfing Upcoming Horror.com when I originally found the info on the movie that was being made. Yes, I’m one of those people who hear about the movie and quickly go and read the book to compare. It’s a sad little hobby of mine that usually ends up in disappointment when the movie finally arrives in theaters. So with a two sentence description from UCHM.com I hopped (yes, hopped) on over to B&N to pick up the book.
It builds slowly but keeps your attention throughout the beginning of the novel. It’s not one of those that you have to drag yourself through the first 1/3 of before you actually start enjoying it. The character development has very limited background at first, just a few people on a vacation in Mexico enjoying the beach and a lot of tequila. Then things begin to get interesting and by the time you realize who the real villain is in the story it’s already getting pretty nasty for the characters. Sure this novel has plenty of blood to go on about and lots of creepy moments but I honestly was most impressed by the way the characters broke down piece by piece, one by one; the way they interacted with each other. Not the mention how their back stories came into play as they fell apart. I also liked the fact that this “villain” that I mention isn’t ever fully explained. You never know where it came from or why it does what it does, which I think ads to the unnerving feeling of it all. No one likes the unknown when you’re alone in the jungle.
The Ruins as a novel is many things, a deep character study, an all out bloody mess and a pretty good reason not to visit Mexico’s jungles. I personally loved it and wish that the movie had been more true to the book, but then again doesn’t everyone say that?
