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Reasons She Goes to the Woods
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here
Pearl can be very, very good. More often she is very, very bad. But she’s just a child, a mystery to all who know her. A little girl who has her own secret reasons for escaping to the nearby woods. What might those reasons be? And how can she feel so at home in the dark, sinister, sensual woods, a wonder of secrets and mystery?
Told in vignettes across Pearl’s childhood years, Reasons She Goes To The Woods is a nervy but lyrical novel about a normal girl growing up, doing the normal things little girls do.
Pearl can be very, very good. More often she is very, very bad. But she’s just a child, a mystery to all who know her. A little girl who has her own secret reasons for escaping to the nearby woods. What might those reasons be? And how can she feel so at home in the dark, sinister, sensual woods, a wonder of secrets and mystery?
Told in vignettes across Pearl’s childhood years, Reasons She Goes To The Woods is a nervy but lyrical novel about a normal girl growing up, doing the normal things little girls do.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2014
21 people are currently reading
2468 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Kay Davies
11 books37 followersDeborah Kay Davies started writing and publishing when she was a mature student and taught Creative Writing at Cardiff University. Her first collection of stories, Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful, won the 2009 Wales Book of the Year Award. She has also published a collection of poems, Things You Think I Don’t Know. She lives in Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
October 12, 2019
From the first page (which is also the first chapter; chapters are one page), you know that Reasons She Goes to the Woods is not safe writing. This is the story of a child named Pearl who seems sociopathic—all the more upsetting due to the simple, yet gorgeous poetic narrative of actions, such as putting her infant baby brother (“The Blob”) at the top of the stairs and watching him tumble down. This is a physically and emotionally violent story of being crazy and beholden to a crazy situation. If you grew up with any kind of parental insanity you are in danger of resonating with this story and perhaps being deeply upset that you do … or relieved. This is a book people will love or hate, understand or be baffled by. Any which way, it is brilliant and sensual imaginative writing that will haunt you while you’re reading and maybe long after.
As a writer who has often been told that my work is “unsafe,” which I consider a compliment, I’m in awe of Deborah Kay Davies’s bravery to write a character with such complex psychology—that can so easily be misread as perverse—and trust readers to understand it and also risk them misunderstanding it. Not once does Davies attempt to create a net under this high-wire art by overwriting in an attempt to explain. Instead she shows and shows and shows. She is true to the character she has created and delivers the child’s feelings and behavior uncensored and unexplained. Wow.
Great cover. No quotation marks on dialogue; it almost makes sense here, however one does have to reread to understand when someone (and who) is talking.
As a writer who has often been told that my work is “unsafe,” which I consider a compliment, I’m in awe of Deborah Kay Davies’s bravery to write a character with such complex psychology—that can so easily be misread as perverse—and trust readers to understand it and also risk them misunderstanding it. Not once does Davies attempt to create a net under this high-wire art by overwriting in an attempt to explain. Instead she shows and shows and shows. She is true to the character she has created and delivers the child’s feelings and behavior uncensored and unexplained. Wow.
Great cover. No quotation marks on dialogue; it almost makes sense here, however one does have to reread to understand when someone (and who) is talking.
October 12, 2014
Children are creepy. They exist in a dimension we once lurked in but it’s been so long it’s hard to imagine it. We grew out of it. Most of us do. Reality forces its way into our lives and that’s that. Unless you’re Pearl but then Pearl’s not normal. There’s a cruel streak to Pearl. And a selfish one. And, surprisingly for any child, a patient one. But then she is a sociopath with a raging Electra complex that refuses to die a natural death. I use both terms loosely. Others have called her a psychopath. You could just as easily call her evil. You could argue any of them and there’s plenty of room for overlap. Suffice to say from a very early age—I would guess about four—Pearl decides that the one thing in the road of her having the kind of happiness she longs for is her mother.
Pearl’s innately cruel. She’s a bully. She doesn’t have friends as much as lackeys. This is what happens when she encounters Fee for the first time. This is an entire chapter:
Time passes quickly in this book—about twelve years I would guess—and no chapter is longer than a page—effectively a vignette then—which you might think might make this book feel jagged but surprisingly the continuity is maintained. And it’s definitely a page turner. The thing is—and this might surprise you—Pearl is not a character you find yourself completely hating. She’s no Wednesday Addams but then neither is she Dexter Morgan. It’s the old nature versus nurture argument—which is why it’s hard to settle on whether her tendencies are sociopathic or psychopathic—because she’s undoubtedly inherited something from her mother but then there’s the ineffectual father who lets his kids fend for themselves presumably while he’s fending off his (IMHO) bi-polar wife.
Eventually Pearl develops into a shapely and sexually aware teen and it’s time for her endgame. As I’ve said, she’s surprisingly patient. The big question is: Will she succeed? And at what cost? And the same goes if she fails. There’ll be consequences. There’ll be no going back no matter what.
This can be uncomfortable reading. From a very young age she’s preoccupied with bodies and touching:
There’s a lot about this book to like, stylistically at least. The author takes chances and maybe she doesn’t quite pull it off—how do you end a book like this?—but it’s a brave effort and I’ll be keen to see what she produces in the years to come. Some will find it’s warts and all portrayal of childhood an uncomfortable read; Enid Blyton it is not.
Pearl’s innately cruel. She’s a bully. She doesn’t have friends as much as lackeys. This is what happens when she encounters Fee for the first time. This is an entire chapter:
Pearl has been busy with her tea set under the tall privet hedge that borders the back garden. Cream tapers of crumbly blossom poke out from the leaves, filling the air with a smell of wee and warm fudge. Under the hedge the shade flickers and buzzes. Pearl kneads some cakes out of damp mud, decorating them with insects she has caught. Some of the insects wriggle, so she presses them into the cakes until they lie quietly. From the kitchen Pearl can hear women’s voices, and a radio playing. There is the sharp sound of laughter occasionally. She crouches, perfectly still, and watches as a girl steps out into the sunlight, crosses the lawn and walks close to the hedge. Just as she’s about to go past, Pearl shoots out her hand, grabs the girl’s bare ankle and yanks her down. Ouch, the girl says, on her knees, and acts as if she’s about to cry. She’s pale, with a sparse, floppy fringe and teeth you notice. Pearl pulls her into the den she’s made. You’re new, Pearl states. They look at the mud cakes. What are those? the girl asks. Yum, Pearl says. Eat one. She encloses the girl’s pliant wrist with both hands and administers a Chinese burn. Eat one, she says, then I’ll stop. Are those insects? the girl asks. Pearl goes on twisting. The girl bites into a cake. Her eyes run and snot seeps onto her upper lip. Pearl can hear crunching. The girl swallows, her big teeth muddy. Now you can get lost, Pearl says. But I want to stay, the girl whispers. Pearl expected this. Name? she asks. I’m Fee, the girl answers, settling comfortably, her limp wrist still lying in Pearl’s brown hands. Now will you have me as your friend?Pearl dotes on her daddy and makes her mother’s life a misery which is not hard because her mother’s already unstable. Occasionally Pearl takes things too far and in her crazed state her mother seeks her out with every intention of doing the child permanent injury but Pearl shrugs this off; this just proves she’s on the right track and it’s only a matter of time. When she learns about death for the first time this is what she takes away from the lesson:
In amongst the apple trees she feels so excited she wants to float like a balloon. So, mothers can die, she thinks, running from tree to tree. I never knew that.Oddly Pearl can be surprisingly protective of her younger brother who she calls The Blob not that he gets off scot-free but watch out anyone else who tries to hurt him.
Time passes quickly in this book—about twelve years I would guess—and no chapter is longer than a page—effectively a vignette then—which you might think might make this book feel jagged but surprisingly the continuity is maintained. And it’s definitely a page turner. The thing is—and this might surprise you—Pearl is not a character you find yourself completely hating. She’s no Wednesday Addams but then neither is she Dexter Morgan. It’s the old nature versus nurture argument—which is why it’s hard to settle on whether her tendencies are sociopathic or psychopathic—because she’s undoubtedly inherited something from her mother but then there’s the ineffectual father who lets his kids fend for themselves presumably while he’s fending off his (IMHO) bi-polar wife.
Eventually Pearl develops into a shapely and sexually aware teen and it’s time for her endgame. As I’ve said, she’s surprisingly patient. The big question is: Will she succeed? And at what cost? And the same goes if she fails. There’ll be consequences. There’ll be no going back no matter what.
This can be uncomfortable reading. From a very young age she’s preoccupied with bodies and touching:
Pearl does a certain thing with her soft, pink toy rabbit. He’s bald in places and has yellow buttons for eyes, and the insides of his floppy ears are made from a shiny fabric she likes to rub between her thumb and fingers. When Pearl was very little she discovered that if she pushed her rabbit up in the nook between her legs and squeezed him tight, then a lovely, lonely, secret feeling flooded from him into her, taking her breath away. Most people think how cute it is, the way Pearl will not be parted from her toy. No one knows about his special powers.I’m not sure that sex is the right word in talking about Pearl’s inclinations. What she is is a sensualist:
She wades into the water, her sandals growing heavy, and waits for the stream to settle. Insects are ticking in the undergrowth. Kingcups glow amongst the fleshy plants along the water’s margin. Pearl lies down in a smooth, shallow pool. Her hair entwines with the waving plants, her skin turns to liquid, her open eyes are just-born jewels. She can feel her brown limbs dissolving. Sunlight falls in bars and spots through the trees. As the lovely water laps her ears and throat, moves inside her shorts, slips across her fragile ribs, Pearl grins, thinking she hears laughter, and raises her arms to the just-glimpsed sky. These are some of the reasons she comes to the woods.I’ve just done a quick check and it doesn’t look like there’s a chapter without the word ‘feel’ or some variation thereof in it. And, as we’ve expected from the start, feelings boil over in the final few chapters.
There’s a lot about this book to like, stylistically at least. The author takes chances and maybe she doesn’t quite pull it off—how do you end a book like this?—but it’s a brave effort and I’ll be keen to see what she produces in the years to come. Some will find it’s warts and all portrayal of childhood an uncomfortable read; Enid Blyton it is not.
March 28, 2021
This is not a cozy coming of age story, it's rather dark and grim but oddly fascinating. Pearl is a messed up young girl with not that good of a family life. Its dark but to dark of its content but did make me uncomfortable at times.
May 5, 2016
I am so glad that I finally got a chance to pick this one up and read it becuase it's the first book in a long time where I have just sat and read the whole thing in one sitting. This is definitely not going to be a book for everyone as it is twisted and dark and filled with sinister thoughts and a young girl. Basically all the dark images that come to mind when I say those things are probably covered within this.
I have to say that Deborah Kay Davies has extraordinary talent with words and the frank and yet beautiful way she told stories worked so very well here. Each left-hand page has just one word whist each right-hand page features a mini story (linked with those before & after) about Pearl. I liked this format a lot as it felt as though you were really getting snapshots of Pearl's adventures and life, and the pacing was fast, yet lyrical.
Pearl is a young girl right at the start and it's immediately obvious to the reader that she's not a 'normal' child becuase of the violent and sexual tendencies she displays. I have to say that this made me uncomfortable, and yet I related to it (in small sections, don't worry I'm not as crazy as Pearl or her mother) too. Whilst Pearl seems quite unusual and maybe even dangerous at first, as the story goes on we get to see where these tendencies may have come from with her abusive mother and neglectful father. I really thought that the family shown here is messed up badly, but also sooo interesting to read about.
On the whole, excellently written and my only complaint is that there could have been a little more at the ending to see exactly where the characters would end up. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I will certainly look out for more by this author in future. 4.5*s
I have to say that Deborah Kay Davies has extraordinary talent with words and the frank and yet beautiful way she told stories worked so very well here. Each left-hand page has just one word whist each right-hand page features a mini story (linked with those before & after) about Pearl. I liked this format a lot as it felt as though you were really getting snapshots of Pearl's adventures and life, and the pacing was fast, yet lyrical.
Pearl is a young girl right at the start and it's immediately obvious to the reader that she's not a 'normal' child becuase of the violent and sexual tendencies she displays. I have to say that this made me uncomfortable, and yet I related to it (in small sections, don't worry I'm not as crazy as Pearl or her mother) too. Whilst Pearl seems quite unusual and maybe even dangerous at first, as the story goes on we get to see where these tendencies may have come from with her abusive mother and neglectful father. I really thought that the family shown here is messed up badly, but also sooo interesting to read about.
On the whole, excellently written and my only complaint is that there could have been a little more at the ending to see exactly where the characters would end up. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I will certainly look out for more by this author in future. 4.5*s
August 28, 2014
Review coming... If I can get out of holiday mode..
a stunning evocation of childhood, warts and all, well of one childhood – Pearl, a girl whose mischief spills over into disturbing areas, such as commanding all her friends to strip and be whipped at whim, or her treatment of her much younger brother who she calls ‘The Blob’:
He’s pushing a toy car around.. these bits are the roads, he tells Pearl. Who cares about the stupid roads? Pearl says… in fact who cares about you at all? She asks him putting her face up close. No one in this house. I heard mother say she prayed you’d be run over by a lorry. Her brother starts to grizzle, and pearl snatches his car, throwing it against the wall.
That’s a mild example. Pearl really goes beyond: hurting, misleading and bullying, psychologically and physically. She schemes against her fragile mother in an attempt to usurp her: she loves (is obsessed with) her dad inappropriately. She is jealous, violent, troubled, nasty, and arrogant. And a bit vulnerable, so you (the reader) are shocked and troubled and also moved, you want her to accept the help offered here and there but she doesn’t and things go from bad to worse.
Davies is a lyrical and skilful writer, brilliant at describing the little, important things of childhood, all the senses involved (eg the tastes of sausage rolls, fish and chips), the strangeness of adult behaviour, the rituals, the broken friendships, and above all the little adventures, on swings, under hedges, up trees. For example, wading in a stream:
[Pearl]watches the water quiver at the rims of her wellingtons. She loves that wait, as the stream laps the thin rubber, before it tumbles down into her socks.
The book is arranged in page long vignettes, and is beautifully set out, a real pleasure to read. Once or twice I did wonder whether the form had dictated too much: whether certain passages should be longer or shorter, but overall this was an engaging and provocative treat.
a stunning evocation of childhood, warts and all, well of one childhood – Pearl, a girl whose mischief spills over into disturbing areas, such as commanding all her friends to strip and be whipped at whim, or her treatment of her much younger brother who she calls ‘The Blob’:
He’s pushing a toy car around.. these bits are the roads, he tells Pearl. Who cares about the stupid roads? Pearl says… in fact who cares about you at all? She asks him putting her face up close. No one in this house. I heard mother say she prayed you’d be run over by a lorry. Her brother starts to grizzle, and pearl snatches his car, throwing it against the wall.
That’s a mild example. Pearl really goes beyond: hurting, misleading and bullying, psychologically and physically. She schemes against her fragile mother in an attempt to usurp her: she loves (is obsessed with) her dad inappropriately. She is jealous, violent, troubled, nasty, and arrogant. And a bit vulnerable, so you (the reader) are shocked and troubled and also moved, you want her to accept the help offered here and there but she doesn’t and things go from bad to worse.
Davies is a lyrical and skilful writer, brilliant at describing the little, important things of childhood, all the senses involved (eg the tastes of sausage rolls, fish and chips), the strangeness of adult behaviour, the rituals, the broken friendships, and above all the little adventures, on swings, under hedges, up trees. For example, wading in a stream:
[Pearl]watches the water quiver at the rims of her wellingtons. She loves that wait, as the stream laps the thin rubber, before it tumbles down into her socks.
The book is arranged in page long vignettes, and is beautifully set out, a real pleasure to read. Once or twice I did wonder whether the form had dictated too much: whether certain passages should be longer or shorter, but overall this was an engaging and provocative treat.
January 7, 2015
It's admirable when a novel sets out its own rules forming a unique rigid structure to convey a story. Rather than limiting the narrative, this can give the author freedom to drive through her meaning and create a rhythm to the story which gives the reader a comforting sense of being held by an authoritative voice. It's something I love so much about the monumental achievement that is Virginia Woolf's “The Waves” - a book that invokes six characters' interior poetic voices throughout the course of their lives with each section prefaced by short descriptions of the sun's movement over the course of a day. Deborah Kay Davies invents her own structure writing a book composed of page-long lyrical scenes headed by titles that trace the development of a young girl. “Reasons She Goes to the Woods” is the story of adolescent Pearl who grows from girlhood to a young adult over the course of the book exploring the sometimes deviant compulsions and tumultuous passions which contribute to the formation of identity.
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies
February 19, 2019
I managed to get about half way through this, but have now given up. I just can't get into it. It is beautifully written. Definitely weird and somewhat dark. But the story just isn't flowing enough for me to feel gripped by it.
June 12, 2016
Reasons She Goes to the Woods was one hell of a ride. The writing style was so incredibly beautiful and evocative and it's what made the story so impressive for me.
It's not for everybody, that's for sure, but it's such a worthy read
It's not for everybody, that's for sure, but it's such a worthy read
October 8, 2025
Ik heb echt geen idee wat ik zojuist heb gelezen, maar het was wel fascinerend?
June 15, 2014
I am so surprised at the number of reviews that portray Pearl as simply a "difficult child", "heroine", "willful" and even "naughty"....ummm, the girl was a straight up psychopath. This was The Bad Seed. For reals. She was a sadist that inflicted serious harm to her baby brother as well as her friends. Speaking of friends, what kind of neighborhood did she live in when girls like Fee, Honey and Nita all encouraged her madness?
With her continual blackouts, hallucinations (the skeleton girl), obsession with her father and self harming behavior, I thought there was no doubt that Pearl was seriously mentally ill. Sociopath? Schizophrenia? The way that she goaded her already weak minded mother was chilling. I couldn't help but to wonder if Pearl and her mother were like the chicken and the egg. Pearl was so manipulative in the way she targeted her mother. Pushing her mother into traffic and whispering that she would soon be gone, might push anyone over the edge and are surely not the actions of a "young heroine" or "difficult child".
I do not consider this a "coming of age" novel with a young confused woman navigating through the difficulties of adolescence like many have mentioned in their reviews. This was a glimpse into the complicated mind of a seriously emotionally disturbed and deranged individual.
With her continual blackouts, hallucinations (the skeleton girl), obsession with her father and self harming behavior, I thought there was no doubt that Pearl was seriously mentally ill. Sociopath? Schizophrenia? The way that she goaded her already weak minded mother was chilling. I couldn't help but to wonder if Pearl and her mother were like the chicken and the egg. Pearl was so manipulative in the way she targeted her mother. Pushing her mother into traffic and whispering that she would soon be gone, might push anyone over the edge and are surely not the actions of a "young heroine" or "difficult child".
I do not consider this a "coming of age" novel with a young confused woman navigating through the difficulties of adolescence like many have mentioned in their reviews. This was a glimpse into the complicated mind of a seriously emotionally disturbed and deranged individual.
April 12, 2014
I was drawn to this book by the cover. May seem slightly shallow. When I started reading it I initially thought "I won't read all this it is too much "!!! I read it in 2 days, the way the pages are written on every other one leads you to want to read more, or so I found. The main character, a young girl, mind works and reacts to those around her shockingly at times.
It is the story of Pearl a violent, mixed up girl, who has to have her own way. She has designs for life and if they do not turn out her way everyone suffers for it. She bullies her friends and is attracted to certain people for the wrong reasons. There are many uncomfortable scenes where Pearl's Oedipus complex comes to the fore. However none of this storyline is written without leading to a conclusion, of sorts.
This is one very disturbed girl and there are reason for her behaviour. This book is written so well that the author either has the professional knowledge or did a lot of research. A book that will stay with me for a long time.
It is the story of Pearl a violent, mixed up girl, who has to have her own way. She has designs for life and if they do not turn out her way everyone suffers for it. She bullies her friends and is attracted to certain people for the wrong reasons. There are many uncomfortable scenes where Pearl's Oedipus complex comes to the fore. However none of this storyline is written without leading to a conclusion, of sorts.
This is one very disturbed girl and there are reason for her behaviour. This book is written so well that the author either has the professional knowledge or did a lot of research. A book that will stay with me for a long time.
January 26, 2014
Wow.
As I started reading I kept finding myself thinking "This is the the sort of book I wish I could write", and the title of Davies' earlier novel "True Things About Me" sounded familiar.
Lo and behold I checked my Goodreads page, and I read it back in 2011. My opening line of that review was "The sort of book I wish I could write"...hmmm, Deborah Kay Davies is GOOD.
An incredibly powerful read (which benefits from being devoured in a couple of intense sittings)this is the story of Pearl, a troubled and damaged girl desperate for some control in her tiny claustrophobic, slowly disintegrating world.
Beautifully structured in page long chronological vignettes from her childhood and adolescence, this original and darkly disturbing narrative builds to a dizzying crescendo.
Lyrical, honest, hauntingly familiar yet bleakly alienating - "Reasons She Goes to the Woods" is creative perfection.
As I started reading I kept finding myself thinking "This is the the sort of book I wish I could write", and the title of Davies' earlier novel "True Things About Me" sounded familiar.
Lo and behold I checked my Goodreads page, and I read it back in 2011. My opening line of that review was "The sort of book I wish I could write"...hmmm, Deborah Kay Davies is GOOD.
An incredibly powerful read (which benefits from being devoured in a couple of intense sittings)this is the story of Pearl, a troubled and damaged girl desperate for some control in her tiny claustrophobic, slowly disintegrating world.
Beautifully structured in page long chronological vignettes from her childhood and adolescence, this original and darkly disturbing narrative builds to a dizzying crescendo.
Lyrical, honest, hauntingly familiar yet bleakly alienating - "Reasons She Goes to the Woods" is creative perfection.
November 12, 2018
3.5 stars
The cruelty of childhood. In page-long vignettes, this book describes the life of a girl from a very young age to well into adolescence. It is beautifully written. At first I was reminded of Weathering by Lucy Wood, and not just because of the girl's name (Pearl).
Pearl's mother is mentally ill and it becomes progressively plausible that Pearl is afflicted as well, because her behaviour is at times very disturbing. Her dad, whom she adores, is ineffectual.
The book is short, but it packs a punch. It left me feeling very sad and sorry for the characters, including Pearl and her mum.
The cruelty of childhood. In page-long vignettes, this book describes the life of a girl from a very young age to well into adolescence. It is beautifully written. At first I was reminded of Weathering by Lucy Wood, and not just because of the girl's name (Pearl).
Pearl's mother is mentally ill and it becomes progressively plausible that Pearl is afflicted as well, because her behaviour is at times very disturbing. Her dad, whom she adores, is ineffectual.
The book is short, but it packs a punch. It left me feeling very sad and sorry for the characters, including Pearl and her mum.
January 31, 2017
Okay, given the number of good reviews this has I think I am seriously missing something. Granted the writing is beautiful, descriptive and easy to read and the main character is interesting with plenty of suggestion of depth and of something not quite right going on. But that was all it was, a suggestion. Because there is no real story line or building of characters, the book leads nowhere in particular. It does get you there fast given the formatting style but it still goes nowhere. It hints at pyschological breakdowns, mental trauma, the need for fitting in or having control of some kind over someone or something. But it is only hints. Not really my cup of tea but I'm glad I tried it.
July 27, 2017
Deborah Kay Davies' Reasons She Goes to the Woods presents the utterly engrossing story of a troubled young girl named Pearl. Told in vignettes which make up a single page each, the structure fits wonderfully, and the obscuring both of time and of Pearl's age causes one to be caught up completely within her world. It is as 'nervy and lyrical' as its blurb promises, and whilst the material is often closer to the violent and harrowing than the gentle, there is so much within its pages to digest and discuss. Davies' prose is vivid, and her descriptions imaginative. Peculiar and chilling, I cannot wait to read more of her work.
October 11, 2015
Haunting, deliciously disturbing, creepy and beautifully written. I have just finished this sitting on the window sill, crisply autumn with a pink, mottled sky. It felt so right. I am toying with giving this a five star but I will give it some reflection.
July 13, 2022
I don't know what I just read. Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies is presented in a series of vignettes and is about a girl called Pearl. Each right hand page (in my copy) is a vignette from Pearl's young life, headlined by a brief chapter heading or title on the opposite page. This makes for a quick read, but the vignettes are heavy and force you to consider what's really going on.
Pearl is a troubled girl and I found myself wondering if she's a sociopath, psychopath or suffering from antisocial personality disorder. Perhaps she's just evil? The author's lyrical writing style put me immediately in mind of Sundial by Catriona Ward, in her ability to create an incredibly creepy young girl. When reviewing Sundial earlier this year, I wrote that it was a 'slow burn, disturbing and unsettling read with a hostile undercurrent' which readily applies here.
The prose in Reasons She Goes to the Woods is spellbinding, and Pearl's visits to the woods are full of evocative nature writing which did well to offset some of the tougher scenes. Meanwhile, there is a constant underlying feeling of menace and mounting dread about what Pearl will do next.
Some of Pearl's childhood antics are relatable, and I especially enjoyed the eating competition:
"I will choose two items of food for each of you, she explains, you have to eat them without throwing up. They all think this is a great idea, and start boasting to each other about how they are never, ever sick." Page 133
Pearl chooses a 'blob of corned beef and a teaspoon of cough medicine for Fee', while the kids load up the spoon for Pearl:
"Soon the big spoon is towering with, among other things, a soft sprout, peanut butter, a slick of Vick's rub, a prune and a crumbled stock cube." Page 133
I could totally relate to this game, although in my day it was a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of Vegemite or a full glass of water. What fun!
Published in 2014 and going on to win various awards, Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies is literary horror and while the writing is spectacular, I can't say I enjoyed reading it. The lack of dialogue punctuation and page-long paragraphs certainly irritated and Pearl is a sensual and disturbing character. Those who remember watching The Good Son (starring Macaulay Culkin) will be shocked to find Pearl is even worse.
I borrowed Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies from the library and I'll be glad to send it down the return chute and on to the next reader intrigued by the sinister yet alluring blurb.
Pearl is a troubled girl and I found myself wondering if she's a sociopath, psychopath or suffering from antisocial personality disorder. Perhaps she's just evil? The author's lyrical writing style put me immediately in mind of Sundial by Catriona Ward, in her ability to create an incredibly creepy young girl. When reviewing Sundial earlier this year, I wrote that it was a 'slow burn, disturbing and unsettling read with a hostile undercurrent' which readily applies here.
The prose in Reasons She Goes to the Woods is spellbinding, and Pearl's visits to the woods are full of evocative nature writing which did well to offset some of the tougher scenes. Meanwhile, there is a constant underlying feeling of menace and mounting dread about what Pearl will do next.
Some of Pearl's childhood antics are relatable, and I especially enjoyed the eating competition:
"I will choose two items of food for each of you, she explains, you have to eat them without throwing up. They all think this is a great idea, and start boasting to each other about how they are never, ever sick." Page 133
Pearl chooses a 'blob of corned beef and a teaspoon of cough medicine for Fee', while the kids load up the spoon for Pearl:
"Soon the big spoon is towering with, among other things, a soft sprout, peanut butter, a slick of Vick's rub, a prune and a crumbled stock cube." Page 133
I could totally relate to this game, although in my day it was a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of Vegemite or a full glass of water. What fun!
Published in 2014 and going on to win various awards, Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies is literary horror and while the writing is spectacular, I can't say I enjoyed reading it. The lack of dialogue punctuation and page-long paragraphs certainly irritated and Pearl is a sensual and disturbing character. Those who remember watching The Good Son (starring Macaulay Culkin) will be shocked to find Pearl is even worse.
I borrowed Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies from the library and I'll be glad to send it down the return chute and on to the next reader intrigued by the sinister yet alluring blurb.
November 15, 2019
Slightly disturbing but excellent read.
Read
August 22, 2020DNF after 60% reading.
I don't have problem with vignettes or the format of the book itself. I think it is interesting and add to the spookiness.
However, the story itself went a bit more sexual than creepy in my taste.
Our main character, Pearl, is a horrible kid. She is mean, hates everyone and only love her dad. Her mom is strange. My point is her character is so interesting to me. I was like "yes! this is gonna be a bizarre story. Don't get me wrong. It did, but only in the beginning.
The first part of the story, which when she was a very young kid is MUCH BETTER. She is bizarre and mean. She would hurt people if she had too and her thought process were wicked. The first part was deliciously good. I was hoping that this book would go even darker and more wicked. But then more and more sexual scenes appear, quite vulgar too. It made me feel so uncomfortable. Hence, I lost my interest in the story.
I don't have problem with vignettes or the format of the book itself. I think it is interesting and add to the spookiness.
However, the story itself went a bit more sexual than creepy in my taste.
Our main character, Pearl, is a horrible kid. She is mean, hates everyone and only love her dad. Her mom is strange. My point is her character is so interesting to me. I was like "yes! this is gonna be a bizarre story. Don't get me wrong. It did, but only in the beginning.
The first part of the story, which when she was a very young kid is MUCH BETTER. She is bizarre and mean. She would hurt people if she had too and her thought process were wicked. The first part was deliciously good. I was hoping that this book would go even darker and more wicked. But then more and more sexual scenes appear, quite vulgar too. It made me feel so uncomfortable. Hence, I lost my interest in the story.
October 20, 2015
A great quirky book. Davies’ imagination is quite extraordinary. Each short chapter is a title and one page of text. The protagonist, Pearl, is fatally eccentric and honest. She has a younger brother whom she calls The Blob and both mistreats but also protects, tearing ‘a wet tufty clump of scalp’ from her brother’s tormenter and puts ‘the clump in her shorts pocket’. It is the latter detail that is so clever.
The range of characters is endless as are Pearl’s actions and repartee: the boy with one overlarge eye staring at her. ‘Why don’t you look at me, he asks. Am I too ugly. Yes, Pearl answers.’ Pearl and her gang have there special game of ‘Kick, Kiss or Torture.’ And much much more.
It is Pearl’s unswerving honesty and wayward imagination that amuses and fascinates. And there are moments of absolute brutality, notably to her best friend Fee, and her increasingly mad mother.
Pearl’s eccentricity eventually segues into a story of madness and an utterly brilliant last line.
The range of characters is endless as are Pearl’s actions and repartee: the boy with one overlarge eye staring at her. ‘Why don’t you look at me, he asks. Am I too ugly. Yes, Pearl answers.’ Pearl and her gang have there special game of ‘Kick, Kiss or Torture.’ And much much more.
It is Pearl’s unswerving honesty and wayward imagination that amuses and fascinates. And there are moments of absolute brutality, notably to her best friend Fee, and her increasingly mad mother.
Pearl’s eccentricity eventually segues into a story of madness and an utterly brilliant last line.
February 20, 2018
Boy am I glad this one was finally over. I read a lot of reviews stating that this book is unique, and I’ll definitely second that. It’s unique and it’s creepy and it’s so damned hard to get into.
Pearl is a fairly normal girl; apart from a mother who is nuts and the fact that she’s desperately in love with her father, yes like some backwards Oedipus Complex, and she’s horrifically violent.
I wouldn’t say she’s consumed by the sex or violence though; it’s more a case of she wants to experience every single thing there is to experience. She’s a sensationalist if that’s the right word.
Personally I’m not recommending this one; I’ve been eager to move on from it for a while and after spending so much on a copy I was disappointed. 2 stars for an original idea, but that’s it.
Pearl is a fairly normal girl; apart from a mother who is nuts and the fact that she’s desperately in love with her father, yes like some backwards Oedipus Complex, and she’s horrifically violent.
I wouldn’t say she’s consumed by the sex or violence though; it’s more a case of she wants to experience every single thing there is to experience. She’s a sensationalist if that’s the right word.
Personally I’m not recommending this one; I’ve been eager to move on from it for a while and after spending so much on a copy I was disappointed. 2 stars for an original idea, but that’s it.
September 30, 2019
Reasons She Goes to the Woods (Oneworld 2014) by Deborah Kay Davies is a poetic and literary marvel, a jigsaw of vignettes in the life of one girl, Pearl, that fit together to form a strange, unsettling and haunting portrait of Pearl’s childhood as she attempts to find her place in the world.
The structure of this novella is the first noticeable thing: each short, sharp chapter is exactly one page long, printed on each right-hand page of the book. Each chapter is a perfectly formed scene in Pearl’s life, with titles such as Opportunity, Shed, Clearing Up, All Better, Zip It or Clump. Random titles that nevertheless ring with meaning once you finish reading that page.
Remember that childhood rhyme? When she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was horrid! Pearl can be good but more often she is very bad. She is odd, strange, weird and selfish. She has bad thoughts about her sick and depressed mother, her struggling father, and her long-suffering brother, whom she calls The Blob. Pearl regularly escapes to the woods, the only place where she feels most at home, but the things she does there – alone, and to others – are dark and sinister, sensual and secretive.
The characterisation of Pearl is magnificently rendered. She is not someone easily forgotten. She is so strange and disturbed, and disturbing. She will get under your skin. One minute she is a vulnerable and emotionally abused little girl; the next she is a changeling determined on revenge and blood lust. She is an enigma and a mystery. Her feelings, behaviour and motivations towards her mother, her father and her brother, and her friends, are deeply disconcerting. There is something amiss within her, something missing in her, and throughout this book we are never quite sure what it is, although its menacing presence trembles in the shadows.
The structure of this novella is the first noticeable thing: each short, sharp chapter is exactly one page long, printed on each right-hand page of the book. Each chapter is a perfectly formed scene in Pearl’s life, with titles such as Opportunity, Shed, Clearing Up, All Better, Zip It or Clump. Random titles that nevertheless ring with meaning once you finish reading that page.
Remember that childhood rhyme? When she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was horrid! Pearl can be good but more often she is very bad. She is odd, strange, weird and selfish. She has bad thoughts about her sick and depressed mother, her struggling father, and her long-suffering brother, whom she calls The Blob. Pearl regularly escapes to the woods, the only place where she feels most at home, but the things she does there – alone, and to others – are dark and sinister, sensual and secretive.
The characterisation of Pearl is magnificently rendered. She is not someone easily forgotten. She is so strange and disturbed, and disturbing. She will get under your skin. One minute she is a vulnerable and emotionally abused little girl; the next she is a changeling determined on revenge and blood lust. She is an enigma and a mystery. Her feelings, behaviour and motivations towards her mother, her father and her brother, and her friends, are deeply disconcerting. There is something amiss within her, something missing in her, and throughout this book we are never quite sure what it is, although its menacing presence trembles in the shadows.
April 3, 2021
Well, this was a dark little read. This book reminds me that you never know what burdens people carry and how very difficult life is for some people. It's all hidden beneath the surface, but at the same time, very often acted out in bad behavior. And boy, does Pearl have some really bad behavior! Throughout the book I never knew who to hate and who to feel sorry for. The entire book is filled with complicated relationships, all stemming from mental illness. But the true brilliance of the book is the author's execution of overly simplistic structure and tone. She juxtaposes it all perfectly against the complex themes and somehow never lets the book feel heavy or horrific. Also to the author's genius is the warm, beautiful writing that, through each chapter brings an increasing feeling of dread of what is to come, yet is so beautiful and filled with buoyancy and light that your spirits are almost lifted as you read this very dark subject matter. Brilliant. Seriously.
March 26, 2017
First time with this author and I really enjoyed this book. It was written so beautifully. It made me uncomfortable in several occasions but that was intentional and It was good too. I loved the simple style but took off a star because of the execution of time passing. Plus I'm stingy with my 5 stars.
I recommend if you like lyrical books about girls growing up that are also dark and twisting.
I recommend if you like lyrical books about girls growing up that are also dark and twisting.
August 18, 2019
One of the strangest things I've ever read.
January 3, 2020
creepy
April 26, 2017
This was a 3.5 stars for me.
Reasons she goes to the woods has a unique structure, where every page is a "snapshot" of Pearl's life. Although the story follows an interesting structure I felt like we didn't really get to know Pearl, and she was such a twisted and strange child who I would've liked to know more about.
Reasons she goes to the woods has a unique structure, where every page is a "snapshot" of Pearl's life. Although the story follows an interesting structure I felt like we didn't really get to know Pearl, and she was such a twisted and strange child who I would've liked to know more about.
March 25, 2014
Three years ago, after I read Deborah Kay Davies’ first novel I wrote that I was a little disorientated. That I was moved, puzzled, disturbed, asking questions, and not quite able to let go.
I could write exactly the same words about this, her second novel.
First time around she wrote of a grown woman, and this time she wrote about a girl at a very particular point in life, the point of transition from childhood to adolescence.
This is Pearl’s story.
It is told in 121 episodes, and every one of them is exactly one page long. Between each episode is a page that is blank, save a title for the next episode. Those breaks are important – a time to think and draw breath – because Pearl’s narrative is so intense.
She is acutely aware of being alive in the world, for Pearl everything is visceral.
And Pearl is disturbed. Whether she was made that way or whether her circumstances made her is an unanswered question.
The picture emerges slowly: her mother has serious mental health issues; her father isn’t dealing with the situation and is close to despair; and her brother is far too young to understand.
Is that Pearl’s fault? Her mother thinks it is.
Pearl can be lovely and she can be horrid. Does she see the world differently? Does she understand what she is doing?
I changed my mind so many times as I read.
The prose was wonderful. Rich, evocative, dreamlike, visceral, and wonderfully controlled.
The story was disturbing, but it was proufound, and it really was an extraordinary piece of writing.
Now though, I’m ready to let go …..
I could write exactly the same words about this, her second novel.
First time around she wrote of a grown woman, and this time she wrote about a girl at a very particular point in life, the point of transition from childhood to adolescence.
This is Pearl’s story.
It is told in 121 episodes, and every one of them is exactly one page long. Between each episode is a page that is blank, save a title for the next episode. Those breaks are important – a time to think and draw breath – because Pearl’s narrative is so intense.
She is acutely aware of being alive in the world, for Pearl everything is visceral.
And Pearl is disturbed. Whether she was made that way or whether her circumstances made her is an unanswered question.
The picture emerges slowly: her mother has serious mental health issues; her father isn’t dealing with the situation and is close to despair; and her brother is far too young to understand.
Is that Pearl’s fault? Her mother thinks it is.
Pearl can be lovely and she can be horrid. Does she see the world differently? Does she understand what she is doing?
I changed my mind so many times as I read.
The prose was wonderful. Rich, evocative, dreamlike, visceral, and wonderfully controlled.
The story was disturbing, but it was proufound, and it really was an extraordinary piece of writing.
Now though, I’m ready to let go …..
May 6, 2016
An easy 5 stars.
Not only will you fly through this beautiful and strange book, but it will haunt you and leave you perplexed and thinking about it. It is told in vignettes through Pearl's childhood and the writing is utterly stunning - almost poetic in parts.
Pearl is one odd cat. Without going into it too much, I will just say that I was, at the same time, horrified by Pearl's actions and also felt sorry for her. Her mother is mentally ill, and you aren't sure if Pearl is heading down that same road, or if she is just one holy terror. She acts out against her mother in particular, as she does neglect Pearl, and you do feel for the child. There is also the underlying relationship between Pearl and her father, and Pearl's obsession with him, which is decidedly sexual. The book is actually very sexual and sensual, not only with Pearl acting in an overtly sexy manner for a little girl, but even in the descriptions of the trees, ferns and brook that is Pearl's hide-away and beloved place.
It is an odd read, and to be honest, I loved it but am also not sure what to make of it. I finished it last night and was left feeling pretty puzzled! It's a 'thinking' read, and I like how books such as this leave you mulling the ideas and themes over for days.
Highly recommend.
Not only will you fly through this beautiful and strange book, but it will haunt you and leave you perplexed and thinking about it. It is told in vignettes through Pearl's childhood and the writing is utterly stunning - almost poetic in parts.
Pearl is one odd cat. Without going into it too much, I will just say that I was, at the same time, horrified by Pearl's actions and also felt sorry for her. Her mother is mentally ill, and you aren't sure if Pearl is heading down that same road, or if she is just one holy terror. She acts out against her mother in particular, as she does neglect Pearl, and you do feel for the child. There is also the underlying relationship between Pearl and her father, and Pearl's obsession with him, which is decidedly sexual. The book is actually very sexual and sensual, not only with Pearl acting in an overtly sexy manner for a little girl, but even in the descriptions of the trees, ferns and brook that is Pearl's hide-away and beloved place.
It is an odd read, and to be honest, I loved it but am also not sure what to make of it. I finished it last night and was left feeling pretty puzzled! It's a 'thinking' read, and I like how books such as this leave you mulling the ideas and themes over for days.
Highly recommend.
September 10, 2015
I loved this book. I read it it one sitting, which isn't hard due to the set out of the pages and the growing sense of dread you feel while reading it that pushes you forward.
The book is about a girl named Pearl who grows up in a disfunctional family and her behaviour as a reaction to that. I felt the blurb of the book slightly miss represented Pearl as an 'evil child' or a psychopath with no reasoning, when in reading the book you see that her behaviour is clearly a reaction to her parent's failures. She does do some terrible things but I personally don't think she was completely devoid of empathy, more that she felt ignored and angry.
The book also has some very obvious sexual undertones throughout, even something as simple as swimming in a stream is described in such a visceral way that is uncomfortable to read from a child's perspective. Pearl aso seems to have some sexual feelings towards her father, having built him up in her head as this hero figure in contrast to her mentally ill mother whom she hates.
This book is dark and twisted and the fairytale style in which it is written completely works for the tone. It's not an easy read but definitely worth it if you love complex characters, beautiful writing and are maybe looking for something a bit different.
The book is about a girl named Pearl who grows up in a disfunctional family and her behaviour as a reaction to that. I felt the blurb of the book slightly miss represented Pearl as an 'evil child' or a psychopath with no reasoning, when in reading the book you see that her behaviour is clearly a reaction to her parent's failures. She does do some terrible things but I personally don't think she was completely devoid of empathy, more that she felt ignored and angry.
The book also has some very obvious sexual undertones throughout, even something as simple as swimming in a stream is described in such a visceral way that is uncomfortable to read from a child's perspective. Pearl aso seems to have some sexual feelings towards her father, having built him up in her head as this hero figure in contrast to her mentally ill mother whom she hates.
This book is dark and twisted and the fairytale style in which it is written completely works for the tone. It's not an easy read but definitely worth it if you love complex characters, beautiful writing and are maybe looking for something a bit different.
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