The Ruins by Scott Smith

I picked up The Ruins ages ago, back when we were wandering around a Wal-Mart in Taos, New Mexico last year and I had heard it was a good read. It has to be, hands down, one of the ickiest horror novels I have ever read. There were points I actually winced. I don't mean for this to sound like a bad thing. In fact, it's an awesome thing. I was even more pleased to watch the Unrated movie version and see that some of the most skin-crawling aspects of the book were kept, in spirit anyway.

In The Ruins, two college-age couples are vacationing at a Mexican resort. Jeff, Amy, Eric, and Stacy are getting tans, drinking too much, and relaxing near the water. It's pretty much what you would hope for a sun-drenched vacation to be. They've made some friends - 3 crazy, non-English speaking Greeks and a German named Matthias. Matthias's brother, Henrich, hasn't returned from the archeological dig he ran off to (he met the love of his life and followed her there), and Matthias wants to run out there for the day and hunt him down. Despite some initial unease from Amy, the two couples and the sole sober Greek agree to accompany him, thinking they will be in for an adventurous hike through the woods to see some ancient ruins. Unfortunately, these ruins aren't your average Tulum and these kids are woefully unprepared for a hike through the jungle. This place, they find, is home to an unbelievable force. It's going to take them one by one, and as the stress increases, these kids slowly fall further into denial or almost psychosis. Will any of them survive to warn others away? Will someone come to find them?

Scott Smith does a great job of slowly building suspense in the novel, but the real charmer here is the baddie. Like I said before, there are some scenes that just make your skin crawl. It makes me ick just thinking about it ( I have this wisteria at home that just grows and grows. Makes me wonder if Mr. Smith also has a wisteria vine growing in his garden...maybe that is where he got his idea). You honestly don't know if anyone will make it out alive, if there will be a final girl or guy, if they will all turn on each other before the baddie gets them, or if the Greeks will ever show up. 

I don't read a whole lot of horror novels, which probably sounds weird since I watch a ton of horror movies, but this one is a keeper. Just be prepared to never think about visiting Mayan ruins again the same way, or the vines growing in your garden, or even a simple hiking trip. It's got suspense, great pacing, and enough cringe-worthy moments to make you want to put the book down but you just can't stop reading it so you don't. The movie eliminated some characters, switched some things around, and focused more on the gore than the suspense, but I picked up a copy after seeing it. It wasn't the book, but they hardly ever are. 

Rating: 5 stars for still making me shiver when thinking about the vines. As odd as t was, the thought of it growing...well, I won't spoil it. Ugh.