Book Review: Don’t Let The Forest In by C. G. Drews
Don’t Let The Forest In by C. G. Drews is a queer, dark academia, YA horror novel published in 2024 by Hodder Children’s Books, an imprint of Hachette.
The book follows Andrew Perrault’s return to boarding school, where he finds refuge in writing twisted fairytales for Thomas Rye – “a freckled kid with a reckless mouth and hair kissed by the devil”. Thomas is someone Andrew feels he can always rely on, especially with his twin sister inexplicably ignoring him. But as he returns to Wickwood Academy, something strange is happening with Thomas. His abusive parents have disappeared, and there’s blood on his sleeve. Stranger still, Thomas won’t speak to Andrew and is seeming to lose his passion for art, despite always having ink-stained hands and loving to sketch the monsters from Andrew’s stories.
Andrew, desperate to find out what is going on with Thomas, follows him into the off-limits forest and catches him fighting a monster – the monsters that Thomas drew based on Andrew’s stories, which had come to life. To prevent any more deaths, the boys venture into the forest each night to fight the monsters. But as their obsession with each other becomes greater, the monsters do too, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the monsters is to destroy their creator.
Don’t Let The Forest In was impossible to put down. It was as disturbing as it was captivating, and it truly makes you feel as if you are being sucked into the descent into madness along with Andrew and Thomas. It has both asexual and bisexual representation, a dynamic which is often underrepresented even in queer fiction,and was refreshing to read. Seeing Andrew struggle to come to terms with his asexual identity throughout the story is something that will deeply resonate with queer readers, especially those on the asexual spectrum. The author’s bio states that they are aspec themselves, which made me enjoy the novel so much more.
The novel is also a wonderful depiction of both anxiety and grief that pulls on the heartstrings and has you fully invested in the characters. Andrew and Thomas are both relatable and strongly characterised, and it’s easy to put yourself in their shoes. Their growing obsession with one another throughout the narrative is also entrancing and was one of the most intriguing aspects of the story.
The language Drews uses throughout the novel is simply gorgeous. It immediately captivates you, with the first line reading “It hadn’t hurt, the day he cut out his own heart.” However, it isn’t just the first page that has the reader hooked, but the author’s style as well. The prose is rich, vivid, and engaging, allowing the reader to become fully immersed in the dark academia setting and experience the psychological horrors that occurs throughout the narrative.
One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the ending. It is left ambiguous, allowing the reader to infer their own interpretation of the events that have occurred leading up to it.
As the author says in the acknowledgements, “If you’ve turned the last page and are now frowning at the wall, then everything is as it should be.”
Don’t Let The Forest In has left me with the biggest book hangover I’ve had in a long time. It is a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable read, even if the ambiguous ending leaves you frowning at the wall. It is an emotional rollercoaster, but you will find yourself unable to stop reading. If you enjoy dark academia, YA horror, queer romance, or would like to read more books by autistic, aspec, or Australian authors, Don’t Let The Forest In is definitely worth the read.
You can buy the book here.
Gabriel Harrison
Editorial Associate