Kimi Cunningham GrantCritiques

This story takes place in the beautiful wilderness of Idaho. As a lover of nature, I enjoyed the sceneries the author so beautifully captured in this book. 🌿

Emlyn is a guide and when her ex-boyfriend contacts her about the disappearance of their mutual friend, Emlyn doesn’t hesitate. With her skills, she knows they have a better chance of finding Janessa.

The two timelines intertwine nicely. The past takes us back to the time when Emlyn became friends with Janessa. Everything is fine between them until Emlyn meets Tyler, Janessa's childhood friend.

The writing was beautiful. The set up was spectacular. 🌿 But, I just wish I was more engaged in the story. I was waiting for more suspense and thrilling moments in this book. The ending was what I was hoping for. This book will be loved by many readers this season.

A captivating mystery thriller.

Emlyn has come a long way since Tyler ruined her life and she lost her best friend, Janessa, over him. Now she works as a wilderness guide living alone in a trailer in Idaho backcountry. She's cautiously made some friends, including a Forest Service ranger named Varden. Slowly she is trying to come to terms with her situation and to find some peace, but all of that is shattered when Tyler contacts her because Janessa has gone missing. Janessa was documenting her van life on social media with her boyfriend, Bush, and suddenly went silent. Against her better judgement, Emlyn allows herself to be drawn back into Tyler and joins him in his desperate search for their friend.

This was beautifully written and the narrative shifts back and forth in time as we learn Emlyn's history with Tyler and Janessa. The descriptions and details of the vast wilderness that Emlyn inhabits creates an atmosphere and setting that matches Emlyn's inner turmoil. Some twists and turns provide the suspense, and nothing is quite as it seems. Emlyn struggles with her self-perception and experiences some true growth as she faces the truth. I could relate to Emlyn as a main character and the story was very poignant and realistic.

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the e-book ARC (both provided by the publishers) and enjoyed the narrator though there was not much differentiation in her tone and pitch for the various male and female characters.

Definitely this would make a good choice for a book club to discuss the whole nature of finding yourself, starting over, and getting beyond your past.

In her afterword, Kimi Cunningham Grant says that her title for this book, before the marketing folks replaced it, was 'Wilderness'. Having read the book, 'Wilderness' sounds like a perfect fit as hysical and emotional/spiritual wildernesses provide the landscape for the book. I still have no idea what 'The Nature Of Disappearing' means. It sounds like something generated in a blue sky session tasked with coming up with a title that sounds intellectual in an unthreatening way while hinting at danger and mystery.

The physical wilderness is almost a character in its own right. It's described in a way that made me want to put my boots on and head for the forest while also reminding me of how indifferent that landscape is to me and my needs and how easily I could come to harm.

Emlyn, the main character, is comfortable moving through the Idaho wilderness. She's a fishing guide and a competent tracker who knows how to survive alone in the wild. When we first meet her, she still trying to navigate her way out of an emotional/spiritual wilderness that she has inhabited since having a near-death experience after being betrayed by a friend. Although Emlyn can confidently read sign well enough to track people through the forest, she no longer trusts her ability to read the people around her well enough to trust them. Her life has been fractured, leaving her adrift, uncertain and anxious.

What I admired most about this book was that Kimi Cunningham Grant managed to create a physical journey fraught with danger, laced with mystery and culminating in life-threatening violence that also pushes Emlyn to find the clarity, courage and will to bring herself out of the physical and emotional wilderness and reclaim her life. The journey was immersive and tense but also found room for reflection that gave the events meaning beyond simple survival.

The story is told as a present-day narrative, enhanced with scenes from Emlyn's past. I liked that the start of the book didn't rush to action. It built a context by mapping personal histories and seeding a sort of retrospective foreboding regarding a yet-to-be-specified-in-detail life-changing incident in which Emiyn was betrayed. The narrative keeps approaching it sideways as if peeking at it through its fingers. The aim here isn't to tantalise the reader by withholding key information as a traditional thriller might but rather to reflect how we actually deal with painful things that we know and want to forget.

The first half of the book spends a lot of time getting to know the cautious, withdrawn, emotionally fragile person that Emlyn is now and is learning who she was five plus years earlier at college when she formed a close friendship with her charismatic friend, Janessa and fell in love with Tyler, the man who she'd expected to spend her life with but who we know betrayed her. I found myself deeply engaged with Emlyn both before and after the big betrayal. I liked her honesty. I loved that she wasn't perfect and was aware of her own faults. That she didn't always know why she did things when she was doing them, She would do harmful things that she knew she would probably regret but in the moment of doing them she wanted to cause harm or at least wanted it enough not to stop herself. It felt true. It also made me want to go: "No, no, no! Don't say that."

By the second half of the book, the dual timelines (Now and 5 Years Ago) started to amplify each other, building tension and increasing the sense of imminent disaster. I found Emlyn's rising anxiety hard to distance myself from or dismiss. Her fragility and her uncertainty and her history of being broken made being close to her unsettling.

The most unsettling thing was her awareness of her own uncertainty. It wasn't indecision. She understood that deciding wouldn't be enough. Metaphorically, she was walking a cliff path in fog, knowing that it's the step after the next one that's uncertain and may perhaps be fatal.

The only thing that Emlyn is certain of is that if Janessa, from whom she has become estranged, is missing in the wilderness, then she will go and find her, even if it means travelling with Tyler the man who derailed her life five years earlier.

The complex and conflicting relationships with Janessa and Tyler strengthened the narrative. The mystery around why and how Janessa went missing was a good one. The denouement was violent, credible, unexpected and satisfying.

If you're looking for a book with a wilderness setting, a mystery to solve, a dramatic finale and which manages to get you thinking about trust and hope and how we see ourselves and each other, then 'The Nature Of Disappearing' is the one you want.

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING centers around Emlyn who is a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. Before that she was the child of a depressed mother and a father who disappeared from her life. And she was a poor college student who kept to herself for fear of being a person easy to leave behind.

She met Janessa as a college freshman when Janessa saved her from some overaggressive college boys at a local diner. The two become inseparable with Janessa as the charismatic leader and Emlyn the quiet follower. Emlyn is mostly content to let Janessa make her decisions for her.

At least she is until she meets Tyler, Janessa's childhood friend. Emlyn and Tyler become a couple but Tyler's addiction to drugs leads to their breakup which comes to a head when he leaves her for dead in the wilderness.

Rescued by a forest ranger and cared for by an older woman, Emlyn decides to leave her past behind and build a new life. She's doing well until a couple of years later when Tyler comes to find her because Janessa, who has become a social media darling, is missing in the wilderness.

Together the two of them head into the wilderness to try to find Janessa. Along the way, Emlyn learns things Tyler doesn't want her to know about himself. And she learns that she is much stronger and competent than she has ever thought she was.

There is a mystery here with moments of danger, but for me this was mostly Emlyn's story showing her growth and the changes she has gone through. Fans of thrillers will be engaged and so will fans of people exploring their lives.

This book flew by! I'm always drawn to Nature Fiction and love when an author can include it as beautifully as Grant did here. Makes me want to pack up the car and take off into the wild.

Her characters were beautifully crafted as well. Emlyn, the narrator, is in her mid-20's and gone through a lot in her life giving her good reason to be distant with very few closely cultivated friends. Emlyn's parents, best friend, and first love all let her down in some of the harshest ways. But deep down inside she is still looking for that love and acceptance: though she doesn't believe she's worthy of it.

This starts out as two stories that alternate back and forth seamlessly. One beginning in Emlyn's childhood and brings us to where she is today. The other, I initially thought was going to be a story based on the Gabby Petito's disappearance and murder, but it takes a sharp turn when Emlyn goes out in search of her missing estranged best friend. Lot of action and suspense, but a lot of heartache and hope too.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

There’s a lot about this book that will break your heart. But then it’ll get stitched right back together before the last tear-soaked page. Cooper’s story highlights the healing salve for those deep wounds inflicted by humanity: self-sacrificing love married with second-chance grace.

What I Love:
• The mystery keeps the story moving forward at a perfect pace, but the character-driven plot keeps it securely rooted. From the beginning, I was quietly intrigued. Some mysteries are too saturated with the mystery: there’s a need-to-know-how-this-ends urgency so hurry-up-and-get-to-the-end formulaic race. But this book balances the intrigue (questioning Cooper/Kenny as a reliable narrator, questioning his secrets, questioning Scotland’s motives and intent, questioning unexpected newcomers) with a beautiful character-driven plot. More than wanting answers to all the mystery, I wanted healing for these wounded characters.

• The wilderness setting soaks into all parts of the story, like the remnants of a heavy snow melting into waiting earth on a clear, sunny December day. Jake’s cabin in the Appalachian woods is more than just an off-the-grid place; it’s almost another character—essential to the natural healing cycle. I love books that highlight the healing powers of nature, showing that going out into the wilderness can help heal the hurts of humanity (The Great Alone, The Light Through the Leaves, Happiness for Beginners).

• Ultimately, this is the story about a father’s love, and that is something that always pulls at my heart. Even though there’s not much on a circumstantial level that I can relate to between Cooper and Finch, there are certainly many relatable parenting plights and truths that had me connecting to this single-parent father through the story. But beyond the central relationship between father and daughter, there’s a whole other transcendental element here—certainly on a spiritual level—that makes the ending emotively powerful. Grab the whole box of tissues.

What I Didn’t Love:
• Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Recommend To:
• From the beginning, this reminded me so much of Glendy Vanderah’s two novels: The Light Through the Leaves and Where the Forest Meets the Stars—both in terms of content and style.
• Read this if you like books about survival and sacrifice and second-chances, with a connection to nature, and that are character-driven with elements of mystery.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Emlyn is asked by her ex Tyler to help him track down a mutual friend of theirs, Janessa. Janessa has been living in a camper in various remote parks in the US with a boyfriend and posting about it on social media to drum up interest in a business she and Tyler are setting up. The narrative also goes back in time to describe how Emlyn and Janessa met and how Emlyn's relationship with Tyler ended.

I found this well-written but slow at times. The author is clearly well-informed about wilderness hiking and outdoorsy things in general and I learnt a lot. There were references to religious belief, but these were done with a light touch and focussed on hope.

I loved this book! It's the first I've read of hers, and will definitely check out her other books.
The beginning of the back cover synopsis, "No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world" enticed me right away, and the book delivered.
Cooper, and his daughter, Finch, have managed okay living in an old cabin in the woods, owned by a friend of Cooper's from his days in the service, a friend who brings them supplies every year.
Until the year his friend doesn't show up, and Cooper needs to take matters into his own hands to ensure their survival.
I loved every character in this story, the multifaceted personalities such as their only neighbor, Scotland. As their situation worsens, and the threat of Cooper's whereabouts escalate, he is backed into a corner, and this page-turning story will keep you guessing right to the very end.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this interesting, well-told story!

Living in a remote cabin in Appalachia, Cooper and his daughter, Finch, stay off the grid. When their friend, Jake, who provides them with food and supplies doesn't arrive one year, they know they need to make some changes.
A neighbor, Scotland, starts coming around. Cooper is very wary of him, as Cooper is hiding from the past that caused Finch and Cooper to disappear into the woods. When a stranger appears in their woods, Cooper knows that they are in danger.
This is a beautifully written story of a father's love, and the love of those who are willing to help you. The selfless deed near the end of the story is so beautiful.
I recommend this book and can't wait to read the author's backlist.

Easy read about an ex soldier who kidnapes his daughter after his wife’s death, and decides to live in isolation with her in the woods. We learn why this happened and how he handles the situation when she starts to get older.

Without giving away the plot of this book, I will just state that I found the narrative extremely problematic... and leave it at that.

If you are a woman with any political conviction at all, you will probably not like this book. In my opinion, it attempts to justify the very problematic actions of the protagonist.

These Silent Woods by Kimmi Cunningham Grant is the story of a secretive army vet who, upon the death of his girlfriend, almost loses custody of their baby daughter. He takes the baby and disappears into the Appalachian wilderness, living in a cabin owned by an army buddy of his. He fears that he is being sought and that his girlfriend’s parents will never give up the search. Then one day, he and his daughter see a stranger in the woods near their land and he fears that this could be the end of their safety.

I was completely pulled into this story, the author is also an award winning poet and this shows in her vivid and evocative writing. The relationship between the father and daughter pulls on the heart-strings and helps to make this book memorable. In fact, all the characters in the book are well developed and help to flesh out the riveting story.

These Silent Woods is a multilayered story, delivering both family relationships and suspense. There is a quiet thread of tension that runs throughout the story and makes the reader aware that the outside world could intrude at any moment. The author’s lyrical prose highlights her observations on nature and wildlife but there are a few plot holes and unbelievable twists that left me with some unanswered questions.½

Have you ever read a book then years later forgot that you have read the book and started reading it again? From the first chapter I had to keep reading even though I remembered reading it before! That is how good These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant is!
Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in an isolated cabin in the Appalachian Mountain woods for the last eight years. The only people they see are a hermit named Scotland and an old friend, Jake, who brings them food and supplies each winter. I love reading about the characters, the animals in the woods, the setting, and the descriptions of life in the woods, living off the land and what Jake brings them each year. What caused Cooper to flee to these woods with his daughter and what happened to change their circumstances after these eight years is a very emotional read with twists and turns that kept me reading again until the last page!

4.5⭐️

More often than not I end up disappointed with books with a lot of hype surrounding them . So, naturally, I had my reservations about investing my time in reading this novel. But I am glad my curiosity got the better of me and I did not miss out on this beautifully written, atmospheric and moving novel about survival, a father’s unconditional love for his child, kindness, sacrifice and above all, grace.

“The thing about grace is that you don’t deserve it. You can’t earn it. You can only accept it. Or not.”

Cooper and his eight year old daughter Finch are living under assumed names in a remote cabin deep in the northern Appalachian woods. The cabin is owned by Cooper’s ex-army buddy, Jake who visits them once a year with supplies to last the duration till his next visit. Isolated, living off the grid their only contact with the outside world is Jake and their neighbor Scotland , who Cooper regards with more a little suspicion but whom Finch is fond of and considers her friend. Fond of animals with a love for reading and exploring the woods with her father and often on solo trips with a reasonable distance, Finch is curious of the world outside and of the people in it. Cooper suffers from PTSD which manifests in the form of panic attacks when triggered but is a loving and devoted father to Finch. When they notice a young girl on one of their walks in their neck of the woods, Copper is worried about being discovered , having his reasons for living the way he does, however, with no friends of her own Finch is curious about the girl and eager to interact with people outside her little world. Cooper’s past and his reasons for choosing to live the way he does is a mystery that is explored as the story progresses. Finch’s growing restlessness, Jake’s failing to appear on the designated date, the appearance of the girl close to his dwellings and other unforeseen events force Cooper to venture outside his self-imposed boundaries and as the tension builds Cooper finds himself in a situation that weighs heavily on both his and Finch’s safety and his conscience. As tensions build he is forced to make a difficult choice that would irrevocably alter their lives.

With a slow start the narrative gradually picks up the pace as the story progresses and I felt my heart pounding through the last quarter of the book. With its compelling narrative, lush descriptions of the natural beauty of the Appalachian forests and its wildlife and a cast of characters who will touch your heart , These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant is a novel that will stay with me for a long time.

“I’ve always believed that if something was meant to happen, you’d have a second chance at it. But never have I been so bold as to believe in a third or even a fourth chance. Almost like the world was trying to hand you something good after all it had dealt you your whole life was heartache, like it had changed its position on who you were and what you could have. Call it what you will: karma or good luck or maybe something more. Grace.”

Man and his daughter hide in the woods

4.5 stars. May go back and up it to 5. A slow burn.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

What an outstanding novel!

It is a very slow moving novel but I could not put it down as stories that explore the depths of parental love always captivate and move me. We are transported to a remote forest where Cooper and his daughter, Finch, live a simple and isolated existence. However, the past has a way of catching up with you and all too soon danger is lurking in their woods. It was actually quite a thought provoking story as some of Cooper's decisions were at odds with the law, but came from a base instinct to protect his child. Cooper is such a flawed character and I think that made him totally relatable. He is still deeply affected by his time as a soldier in Afghanistan and by the series of events that lead him to the Appalachian woods. There is so much heart in this story and it will stick with me for a while. Loved it.

CW: Animal deaths on page (hunting) death of mother/wife in car accident, forced removal of child from parent, murder

The story is set in the middle of a forest. In the middle of the forest are at least two cabins. One with a father and daughter, another with a lonely old man who preaches Bible quotes. The father is running from the law and can not be found with his daughter in the middle of these woods. They’ve lived off grid for about 8 years where Kenny the father does everything either in cash or does it himself. His daughter Grace Elizabeth is raised in the wilderness and doesn’t know much about why they have to be out there. The story moves quickly and introduces a lady to be the mother figure (Marie) and mentions a friend (Jake) who is never actually in the book.

This book was a very easy read. The storyline moved along quickly and was interesting. The characters were for the most part likeable. The ending had a good twist that I didn’t see coming.

I wished there was a little more action and character development in the story. It seemed like there were only two action scenes and then it was over. Most of the book was predictable. One twist at the end but the rest was easy to figure out. I also did not care for the Epilogue. I think the Epilogue itself could’ve been left out as a whole and it would’ve ended the book better.

★★★★ It’s an OK day read if you’re bored.

This was my number one read from 2022. I feel like this book doesn’t get nearly enough attention either. I have literally recommended it to family, friends, strangers and any chance possible on the internet.

This is a must read and is easily in the top five books of all time for me.

This is my first time reading this author and I found the book beautifully written and engaging. I found that it was suspenseful -- but in a thoughtful and deliberate way. I also found the references to the main character and his PTSD were pivotal in this book -- the author did a nice job of unwrapping his past throughout the book. Without spoiling anything the ending is 'interesting' however, we have to remind ourselves that it is a fiction novel and we want a good story -- nothing wrong with that -- as the author gave us a story of a father and daughter and their love for one another over much tragedy. I highly recommend and I will be watching for other books from this author. Plus, she is from Pennsylvania, my home state.

Started out good, then got stupid.

I wanted to read something that would make me think about something other than the world we live in, so naturally I picked up a literary thriller/suspense novel about a war vet with severe PTSD who's been living in hiding with his young daughter for the past eight years. Because that's not going to be heavy at all, in any way. I didn't expect to cry while reading this, but cry I did. For like the last third of the book.

This isn't a very fast paced book, and most of the action is being told as a story from the past, painting a picture of what lead to this point. This also isn't a thriller in the traditional sense, but I thought the author did an excellent job creating a very tense atmosphere, and I basically flew through this in one sitting.

I pretty muched loved most things about this book, from the writing to the characters to the plot to the atmosphere. The only thing I snagged on a little was the ending. The author had a choice to make in how to wrap this up, and I wished the choice had been something different. However, I still liked this ending well enough, and I understand the reasoning.

Overall a very good reading experience.

Read In November

St. Martin Press|Minotaur Books,
Thank You for this eARC!

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Kimi Cunningham Grant has written another beautiful, character driven, stunning book!
The way this Author can write.... Is ravishing!
It felt like I was in these woods with Cooper and Finch.
And to me that is brilliant and creative writing.
Our characters are true, real, and Cooper will do anything absolutely anything to protect his daughter!
Finch she is just so pure and incredibly beautiful and so curious about the world.
I loved these characters, cared for them and I cried reading Cooper's story!
The tension building up was real and you have this feeling inside of you while reading that is really undescribable....
This was an emotional, crazy roller coaster ride that reader's won't want to get off of!
I sure didn't.... And to me that itself is very deserving of all the star ratings one can give!
A spellbinding story of forgiveness, love survival and sacrifice, about just how far a father is willing to go for his child when he's about to lose the only thing in his life that matters!

A powerful, beautiful story about Cooper and Finch living in a cabin in the wild.
And when secrets have the ability to tear everything apart!. Coop will do anything to protect that!

I devoured this beautiful book in a day. I wouldn't have changed a thing other than I wished it was longer!
Thanks NetGalley Publisher and Author for this advanced copy!

While I found the book an interesting story of survival and a page turner, I didn't see a lot of suspense in it.

What a great book! I didn't want to stop reading, even though it wasn't what you'd normally think of as an exciting book. A lot of damaged people, many holding on to their hurt for years without knowing quite what to do about it. I wanted to help them all, but in spite of my shouting advice, they didn't listen. It seems like much of the pain and suffering could have been alleviated by simply talking, but they all felt they couldn't do this for some reason. Some of them felt they needed to hold on to the pain until it went away, but that doesn't always happen. And then there was hate that lasted so many years, and destroyed the hater more than the hatee. And all for misunderstanding what is going on due again to that lack of communication. Lots of sadness in this story.

The saddest thing was that the person causing the most misery seems to be one of the most popular people in the town. I suppose that's often the case, since if someone is not liked, it's hard to get close enough to people to hurt them.

Anyway, it's hard to classify this book or talk about it without giving too much away. So all I can realy say is read it.