Scott Smith (1) (1965–)

You know that phrase, circling the drain? That’s the best way to describe this novel about greed and the lengths people will go to in the name of it. Recently I was involved in an inheritance process that involved more money than at first suspected. It brought out the worst in some family members so the actions and attitudes of the people in this novel seemed on the money to me. I was a bit surprised by the fluidity of criminal schemes that Hank and Sara came up with on the spur of the show more moment and also their lack of caution in some areas (keeping the money under the bed? with a newborn in the house???), but mostly the book hung together. It’s basically one bad decision after another with things getting worse and worse, scene by scene.

Spoilers commencing -

There isn’t anyone to root for in this book, but there are degrees of dirt-baggery to be plumbed and not all the deaths are lamentable. Most are though and by the end I was hoping Hank would get caught. He and Sara deserved it. They don’t, but neither do they profit by their crimes and they seem pretty comfortable with them on the whole (all that self-serving justification must have gone down well). The FBI logged about 10% of the serial numbers and without knowing which bills are on the list, the whole pile is worthless. Sara tries everything in her power to hang onto it, right to the bitter end. In a way, I’m glad there wasn’t much denouement to the book since it would have meant spending more time with the two of them. I’m not sure the kid’s accident and subsequent near-vegetative state is effective as a sop to justice though. And I can’t imagine the law ignoring so many deaths in such a short time period, especially when there’s no GSR on Lou’s body. But other than those things, the story is good, compelling and reasonably believable if a sad testament to one of humanity’s least admirable traits. show less

Two brothers and a friend find four million dollars in a crashed airplane and decide to take the money for themselves. It's a simple plan: they will wait until spring when the snow thaws and the plane is discovered, see if anybody reports missing the money and if not, divide it up between them. But it's turning into a long winter and the bonds of friendship and family begin to crack like ice.

I have always loved this book. It starts off with a good man then adds a little temptation and then show more ever so slowly it all goes to hell. It's a pitch-perfect morality tale. The plainness of it is what makes it so scary; you know it could really happen this way. show less

Horror
There is something wrong with Scott Smith. Someone call a professional. The Ruins is the most relentless horror experience I have ever had. Page after page, you keep telling yourself it can’t get any worse, and it does. I didn’t care about the characters at all (whether that was the author’s intent or just my personal antipathy, I don’t know) and still cringed throughout the entire story. I don’t want to reveal the nature of the horror, but I guarantee that you have never show more come close to imagining it. Even as the characters’ horror builds through physical hardship and deprivation, their minds can’t accept what has become their reality. I was experiencing voyeuristic guilt. Just keep in mind you can’t help them or save them without sacrificing not only yourself, but the entire world.

Recommended by Geo, November 2007

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Staff Picks show less

Enjoyable brew of clueless gringos, malevolent Mayan jungle, and spectacularly bad decisions resulting in a grueling, grim and gory horror. We spend too much time inside the wide open spaces of the characters’ heads imo, and viewing the same events from different perspectives, but it’s all the more satisfying when the gruesome conclusion arrives. Original choice of antagonist/creature in this one.