The Ruins by Scott Smith


Mar 26, 2010

The Ruins by Scott Smith I picked The Ruins by Scott Smith because of a book review in a magazine and the reviewer was right on target. I was disappointed to learn that Mr. Smith had waited ten years from his last book (A Simple Plan) to write this one because I don’t want to wait that long for another novel from him. The Ruins is the story of two American couples who meet up with two foreigners at a resort in Mexico. They decide to explore some Mayan ruins buried deep within a forest. They leave a map with some other tourists who say they will join them in a few days. Our happy campers ignore warnings about the ruins given by nearby villagers. By the time they reach the top of the ruins, one of them is injured by a fall, they have discovered a skeleton and they realize the villagers will not let them leave. The group is trapped with very little water, no food and bizarre green vines with pretty red flowers which cover the ruins. Things go from bad to worse when they realize the vines can move and think as well as grow inside the human body. The book gets pretty graphic as one by one they start getting (picked off?) by the vines. The tension gets almost unbearable at times between the heat, no water, the constant threat of the vines, the clash of personalities under stress and the desperate hope that the other tourists will show up. I stayed up way too late one night to finish it. Recommended for anyone who wants a good scary read and to anyone who wants to stay up way too late. (By the way, the movie has a different ending.)

Reviewed by Library Staff