The House in the Pines: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller - a twisty thriller that will have you reading through the night

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Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the older man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer. After the tragedy, Maya drowns herself in alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. Maya shows the Youtube video to her boyfriend, Dan. He points out that the girl who died looks like Maya. Steven says that Christina left him a note saying she was going to go live with Frank in his cabin. He tells Maya not to go there.

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes | Goodreads

Googling in the present, Maya finds a woman named Ruby Garza, who died in Hood River (where Frank was from) ten years ago in a fire. In upstate New York, two men (Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper), and later, their sons (Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen) must deal with the unforeseen consequences of their actions. Have you read The House in the Pines and are completely lost and confused? Here is a character list, plot elements, the ending explained, and a Spoiler Discussion for The House in the Pines. Maya starts to pore over what she learned from Steven: Christina was going to move into Frank’s cabin, Frank has “clients,” Frank’s father was a professor.In the past (?) or maybe it’s the present (?) Maya borrows her Mom’s car and sneaks out to Frank’s cabin at night. But she finds the cabin in ruins and Frank camping there. The mystery of what happened to Aubrey and also the other woman at the diner is very interesting. While Frank is present for both deaths, there’s no evidence of any foul play by him. And no drugs or anything like that showed up during the investigations.

The Place Beyond the Pines - Rotten Tomatoes The Place Beyond the Pines - Rotten Tomatoes

So we’re meant to think that Oren tried his hypnosis techniques on his son, Frank, who apparently learned them and used them to murder two people by causing their hearts to stop. A waitress at the murder diner tells Maya that Christina was staring past Frank at something in the corner before she died. An empty booth. A ghost. Now Maya imagines she is with her father, who is typing his book. No, it’s actually Frank. And her mom is here to rescue her. I love literary symbolism, but in this book it feels thrown in there haphazardly: ghosts, holy spirits/religion, nature, drugs, art, gaslighting, abuse, hypnosis. All we need is a TikTok video that makes you drop dead after watching it. Thanks for stopping by my Spoiler Discussion for the House in the Pines! Maya grabs a kitchen knife, leaves a note for her mom and goes to Frank’s favorite bar to confront him. She secretly records the conversation with her phone. Frank says his father is dead but that he “taught Frank everything he knows.”Again, Steven bringing the common sense. I feel like he is the only one who might understand all this.

House in the Pines - IMDb The House in the Pines - IMDb

That said, I was not a fan of a woman lead character, once again, harboring alcohol and drug abuse. I’m extremely tired of this plot device in thrillers. It’s overdone at this point. My opinion: House in the Pines was kind of just a book about a creepy old librarian who gaslit a teenage girl, possibly abused her (did he sleep with her or just invade her mind?), and basically ruined her life by either killing her best friend (who was trying to get Maya to leave Frank) or convincing her that he did. So he’s either a murder and/or an abuser.

Frank admits he had to kill Aubrey because she figured out his game AFTER he gave her a book on hypnosis. He says he “gave Cristina what she wanted” which was to die on camera.

House in the Pines by Ana Reyes - Publishers Weekly The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes - Publishers Weekly

In the past, Maya is obsessed with the fact that Frank drove Aubrey home. She finds them together and is jealous. Maya and Aubrey fight. Aubrey says Frank is the one who is controlling and jealous. I understand what the author was trying to convey but it just feels repetitive at this point. I will say, unlike other thrillers, it doesn’t go on and on about that aspect but it’s still present throughout the novel so that did take away from the story a bit for me. The Mystery What? The new police lady also clearly agrees that Maya is not living in the same reality as the rest of us. In the past, Aubrey tells Maya that Frank gave her a book on mesmerism. (Well that is another BIG CLUE.) Frank shows up and wants to talk. Maya goes to get her phone to call the police and Aubrey falls over dead. All in all, I think this is a good and entertaining thriller. There are uneven parts but it really does try to cover many different topics from friendships, mother/daughter relationships, jealousy, addiction and more.Seven Psychopaths Where to watch The Place Beyond the Pines Rent/buy Subscription Rent/buy Rent/buy So much of The House in the Pines is meant to show us why Maya (and Christina) could have been susceptible: Maya’s family history of mental illness, Christina’s drug addiction and work as an artist, Maya’s imaginative and creative side.