What Lies in the Woods

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-14

Chapters 15-23

Chapters 24-32

Chapters 33-39

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Cultural Context: Greek Mythology

As young girls, Naomi, Cass, and Liv played a game in which they pretended to be goddesses from classical Greek mythology. The three goddesses they embodied are Artemis, Athena, and Hecate. Artemis is the goddess of hunting, wild animals, and chastity, and Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. Hecate is associated with magic, ghosts, witches, nighttime, and crossroads; much later, Hecate appears in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth as the goddess whom the witches serve. All three goddesses feature in myths about jealousy, hubris, and power dynamics: Artemis causes the death of the hero Actaeon after he accidentally glimpses her naked, Athena turns the rival weaver Arachne into a spider, and Hecate facilitates the abduction of Persephone into the underworld. These motifs connect the girls’ game to the novel’s interest in Jealousy and Tension Within Friendships, as well as the revelation about why Cass urged Liv to stab Naomi.

The nickname of the skeleton is also linked to Greek mythology. The friends refer to the skeleton as Persephone (which turns out to be the name of Jessi’s niece). In Greek mythology, Persephone is the beloved daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and the harvest. After the underworld god Hades abducts Persephone, her distraught and angry mother refuses to allow any crops to grow until her daughter is returned to her. Eventually, the other gods broker a compromise: Persephone will spend half the year in the underworld and the other half of the year in the land of the living. This myth explained the change of seasons: Winter came when Persephone descended to the underworld; its cold temperatures and lack of crop growth marked Demeter’s grief. Spring occurred when Persephone returned to the land of the living, to her mother’s joy. The myth has strong sexual undertones since Hades forces Persephone into becoming his bride. This connects the name to the novel’s “Persephone”—the skeleton of a young woman killed for the sexual misbehavior of her lover, Jim Green.

Cultural Context: True Crime Entertainment

True crime is a nonfiction genre of entertainment based on representing and sometimes dramatizing events surrounding real crimes; examples of the genre can include films and television, podcasts, and books. Prurient interest in crimes and criminals can be traced back to many cultures and historical periods; entertainment featuring real crime kept people informed about current events and dangers and reinforced social norms (especially when the criminal was presented as a threat). In the 18th century, access to the printing press and the rise of literacy was marked by printed matter that often sensationalized events related to actual crimes and criminals. For example, in the UK, Newgate novels (named after a notorious prison) and penny dreadfuls (cheaply available pamphlets and prints) served as forms of early true crime entertainment in the 18th and 19th centuries.

True crime became more popular and solidified as a genre in the 20th century, as information could be circulated and shared more widely; the development of the science of psychology likely also spurred interest in exploring the minds of individuals who committed violent crimes. One famous early example is Truman Capote’s 1965 blockbuster In Cold Blood, based on the real-life murder of four family members in a small community and notoriously playing fast and loose with facts while purporting to be objective reportage.

In the 21st century, changing technologies have led to new forms of the true crime genre, notably streaming documentaries and podcasts, typically traced back to the 2014 podcast Serial. In What Lies in the Woods, one of the main characters—Ethan—claims to be researching the events surrounding the town of Chester for his true crime podcast, a completely plausible cover story that raises no red flags. Adding the element of true crime interest allows the novel to add more realism to the events it describes, as those living outside Chester are similarly fascinated by the gruesome violence that has taken place there at the hands of the serial killer Stahl.

The true crime genre is controversial; critics argue that it exploits victims by centering perpetrators of crime and can retraumatize survivors and family members by dredging up the past. However, public interest in stories highlighted by true crime entertainment can also lead to public pressure on the justice system and even pressure to reopen or reexamine cases. In the novel, new interest in the seemingly solved case surrounding what happened to Naomi becomes motivation for the real perpetrators to kill again and causes those who were originally traumatized to relive the terrible things that happened to them. However, Naomi’s dogged investigation also finally uncovers the truth of what happened, allowing survivors to start putting the past behind them.