What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hanging Woods
What Walter reads that day changes him. Not in any way someone would really notice. He still goes to school, hangs out with his friends Jimmy and Mothball, and tries to avoid the Troll, the town recluse. But something in him has changed. It's as if he can feel a part of him growing—the part that can stand by and watch a house burn down or the life flow out of a fox, without doing anything to stop either. He knows he could—should—do something to help. But some part of him keeps him glued in place, watching with fascination and curiosity. Maybe it would have been better if Walter had never found out the things he did. Maybe he didn't really want to know. But then again, maybe he did. Richly atmospheric, The Hanging Woods is at times disturbing, but it is always riveting. It's a tale of deception, delusion, and the dark places a troubled mind can go.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Scott Loring Sanders
18 books31 followersScott Loring Sanders is the author of four books. Two novels, The Hanging Woods and Gray Baby (both with Houghton Mifflin), a short story collection-- Shooting Creek and Other Stories (Down & Out Books), and an essay collection-- Surviving Jersey: Danger & Insanity in the Garden State. His work has been included in Best American Mystery Stories, Noted in Best American Essays, and published widely in national journals and anthologies. He's a frequent contributor to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, among many others. He's been the Writer-in-Residence at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France, and also a fellow at the Edward F. Albee Foundation in Montauk, NY. After growing up in New Jersey and then living in Virginia for twenty-five years, he now resides in Cambridge, MA and teaches creative writing at Emerson College and Lesley University. He is currently at work on a new novel of literary mystery/suspense set in Concord, Massachusetts.
For more information, visit his website at http://www.scottloringsanders.com
For more information, visit his website at http://www.scottloringsanders.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
November 20, 2011
i have no idea why no one has read this book.
it is amazing. i wasn't sure it was YA at first because i bought it used, and the writing is so wonderful: dark and literary. not that YA can't be dark and literary, but this just seems particularly well-crafted for an audience that usually swoons over sparkly vampires where the word "beautiful" is used 14,000 times per volume.
this book has a more "classic" appeal to it, and of course the comparisons between it and to kill a mockingbird are obvious, but not undeserved. it really does an amazing job setting up the mood of the book, and the feel of a typical coming-of-age in alabama novel, with some decidedly fresh and striking twists.
whenever i find a book like this, i want to wrangle the reluctant-to-read YA peeps and force them to read what i have found.
it opens with the killing of a fox - for greg to enjoy - and then it follows three boys through their complicated friendship largely based on physical abuse and humiliation. ah, youth.
and on a thanksgiving note - there is also a turkey, kept alive without the benefit of his head, for the sake of a guinness book of world records attempt. it is such a great image - a fat turkey waddling around on a leash behind this boy, with a little black executioner's hood on him, for hygiene purposes. the book is worth it for that alone, really.
so it makes me sad that the ending went the way it did. not the big reveal, which was easily seen (well, all of the reveals were pretty obvious, but only if you are paying attention to details, which i am very good at, when i read), but the mechanism of the big reveal. this is where i am not surprised it is YA. it stays dark until the end, and that is hard to do, but the drip drip dripping of clues becomes a flood becomes a bit of foolishness that is perfectly in keeping with the character, but makes the (adult) reader somewhat disappointed.
but details of this book keep ricocheting around in my brain, so that alone is proof that it was successful. i strongly encourage people to read this book, because almost all of it is meticulous and authentic-feeling.
and that's what the kids want, right?
authenticity and meticulous prose?
yup.
come to my blog!
it is amazing. i wasn't sure it was YA at first because i bought it used, and the writing is so wonderful: dark and literary. not that YA can't be dark and literary, but this just seems particularly well-crafted for an audience that usually swoons over sparkly vampires where the word "beautiful" is used 14,000 times per volume.
this book has a more "classic" appeal to it, and of course the comparisons between it and to kill a mockingbird are obvious, but not undeserved. it really does an amazing job setting up the mood of the book, and the feel of a typical coming-of-age in alabama novel, with some decidedly fresh and striking twists.
whenever i find a book like this, i want to wrangle the reluctant-to-read YA peeps and force them to read what i have found.
it opens with the killing of a fox - for greg to enjoy - and then it follows three boys through their complicated friendship largely based on physical abuse and humiliation. ah, youth.
and on a thanksgiving note - there is also a turkey, kept alive without the benefit of his head, for the sake of a guinness book of world records attempt. it is such a great image - a fat turkey waddling around on a leash behind this boy, with a little black executioner's hood on him, for hygiene purposes. the book is worth it for that alone, really.
so it makes me sad that the ending went the way it did. not the big reveal, which was easily seen (well, all of the reveals were pretty obvious, but only if you are paying attention to details, which i am very good at, when i read), but the mechanism of the big reveal. this is where i am not surprised it is YA. it stays dark until the end, and that is hard to do, but the drip drip dripping of clues becomes a flood becomes a bit of foolishness that is perfectly in keeping with the character, but makes the (adult) reader somewhat disappointed.
but details of this book keep ricocheting around in my brain, so that alone is proof that it was successful. i strongly encourage people to read this book, because almost all of it is meticulous and authentic-feeling.
and that's what the kids want, right?
authenticity and meticulous prose?
yup.
come to my blog!
March 30, 2008
I'm no expert in the young-adult genre, but this is a terrific book. Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, with which it has some important similarities, this book is about kids who will seem real to a modern reader: they're flawed and they're from flawed families. For more, see my review at Perpetual Folly.
April 4, 2008
Come on, I have to give my own book five stars. But here are some actual reviews from highly respected national publications and journals, including one that chose to give out its own stars.
Bulletin Starred Review for The Hanging Woods
In what initially seems like one of those small-town boyhood friendships, Walter is virtually inseparable from his pals Jimmy and Mothball; the trio roams through the Alabama woods and engages in some of the traditional mischief of young teenage boys, such as spinning stories about "the Troll," a veteran of the recently concluded Vietnam War, who's camping by the river. As events progress, however, the darker notes in Walter's narration, foreshadowed by his initial mention of finding a family secret, become more prominent, and the erstwhile friends dip increasingly into abusive bullying of one another. Dark then turns disastrous in a sequence of intertwined lethal events that recalls Greek tragedy even as it suggests a cursed reconfiguration of To Kill a Mockingbird. Sanders handles Walter's narration deftly, seeding it with clues to the upcoming wreck but masterfully camouflaging the story as an atmospheric period buddy tale, complete with the lacerating unchallenged racism of the place and time, until the corruption becomes inescapably overt. Readers accustomed to literary morality setting like concrete from the get-go will find this bracingly unsettling as well as enticingly mysterious, and it is sure to provoke discussion if used in the classroom as well as absorption as an independent read. DS
Publisher’s Weekly—Week of 3-10-08
The Hanging Woods Scott Loring Sanders. Houghton, $16 (336p) ISBN 978-0-618-88125-3
Squeamish readers might steer clear of this potent first novel, which begins with the 13-year-old narrator savagely bludgeoning a trapped fox to death in the Alabama woods. The brutal opening scene sets the tone for an increasingly disturbing tale centered on the narrator, Walter, and his two best friends, Jimmy and Raymond, nicknamed Mothball. As Walter tells readers, he has just discovered a devastating family secret in his mother’s diary (it is not revealed until close to the end), and a deep anger grows inside of him. The people around him, overcome by a sense of powerlessness, seem gripped by fury, too, and immune to violence. Mothball, for example, decides he will break the Guinness record for keeping alive a headless chicken; Sanders builds in the gruesome scenes with ax and chopping block, later with eye dropper and corn slurry, creating a horrifying metaphor for the blind cruelty that increasingly governs Walter’s actions. The tone only darkens, while the novel stays suspenseful from start to finish. Readers will want to learn Walter’s secrets and will not guess many answers in advance. The shocking ending...won’t disappoint.
From Kirkus, March 08 "...compelling"
Bulletin Starred Review for The Hanging Woods
In what initially seems like one of those small-town boyhood friendships, Walter is virtually inseparable from his pals Jimmy and Mothball; the trio roams through the Alabama woods and engages in some of the traditional mischief of young teenage boys, such as spinning stories about "the Troll," a veteran of the recently concluded Vietnam War, who's camping by the river. As events progress, however, the darker notes in Walter's narration, foreshadowed by his initial mention of finding a family secret, become more prominent, and the erstwhile friends dip increasingly into abusive bullying of one another. Dark then turns disastrous in a sequence of intertwined lethal events that recalls Greek tragedy even as it suggests a cursed reconfiguration of To Kill a Mockingbird. Sanders handles Walter's narration deftly, seeding it with clues to the upcoming wreck but masterfully camouflaging the story as an atmospheric period buddy tale, complete with the lacerating unchallenged racism of the place and time, until the corruption becomes inescapably overt. Readers accustomed to literary morality setting like concrete from the get-go will find this bracingly unsettling as well as enticingly mysterious, and it is sure to provoke discussion if used in the classroom as well as absorption as an independent read. DS
Publisher’s Weekly—Week of 3-10-08
The Hanging Woods Scott Loring Sanders. Houghton, $16 (336p) ISBN 978-0-618-88125-3
Squeamish readers might steer clear of this potent first novel, which begins with the 13-year-old narrator savagely bludgeoning a trapped fox to death in the Alabama woods. The brutal opening scene sets the tone for an increasingly disturbing tale centered on the narrator, Walter, and his two best friends, Jimmy and Raymond, nicknamed Mothball. As Walter tells readers, he has just discovered a devastating family secret in his mother’s diary (it is not revealed until close to the end), and a deep anger grows inside of him. The people around him, overcome by a sense of powerlessness, seem gripped by fury, too, and immune to violence. Mothball, for example, decides he will break the Guinness record for keeping alive a headless chicken; Sanders builds in the gruesome scenes with ax and chopping block, later with eye dropper and corn slurry, creating a horrifying metaphor for the blind cruelty that increasingly governs Walter’s actions. The tone only darkens, while the novel stays suspenseful from start to finish. Readers will want to learn Walter’s secrets and will not guess many answers in advance. The shocking ending...won’t disappoint.
From Kirkus, March 08 "...compelling"
October 21, 2008
I read this book for two reasons; first Scott grew up across the street from me in New Jersey, and second the book was favorably compared to my all time favorite book "To Kill A Mockingbird". Now I must admit that this book is fairly dark (as Scott admitted to me prior to reading it) and often disturbing. However, the plot is engaging and thoughtful. I typically enjoy novels that are socially engaging and wish Scott's book did more of that, because it definetely had the opportunity. Regardless this is definetly a "good read" and one I will most likely read again.
April 22, 2008
Wow. I was intrigued by the description on the inside book flap and was not disappointed. This book about three best friends in 1975 is full of secrets, lies, and deceit. Shocking and a bit disturbing, this is not a book I'll soon forget.
November 5, 2008
Jen R.
I picked this up because the cover and the blurbs made it seem like a "Stand by Me" sort of novel. Set in the 1970s in a small, struggling working class town, this is the story of 3 teen boys who are uneasy with themselves and with each other.
Trust is a major theme in this book - though lifelong friends, the three main characters don't trust each other at all. They make mention of John Knowles "A Seperate Peace" and there are some interesting parallels.
The characters don't grab you, and the story is very plodding for the first 3/4 of the book. Everyone is mildly to stronly racist, but little to no moral judgement attached. The only bright spot is a headless turkey that one character is trying to keep alive in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The ending is a "gotcha" one, but I found it not that shocking coming from such an unreliable narrator. There was also a rapid rise in severity as far as events go -- from boyhood pranks to incest, sodomy and murder. I wouldn't booktalk it, but I would perhaps shelftalk it if I had a teen who was into murder mysteries and wanted something that was quick and easy.
I picked this up because the cover and the blurbs made it seem like a "Stand by Me" sort of novel. Set in the 1970s in a small, struggling working class town, this is the story of 3 teen boys who are uneasy with themselves and with each other.
Trust is a major theme in this book - though lifelong friends, the three main characters don't trust each other at all. They make mention of John Knowles "A Seperate Peace" and there are some interesting parallels.
The characters don't grab you, and the story is very plodding for the first 3/4 of the book. Everyone is mildly to stronly racist, but little to no moral judgement attached. The only bright spot is a headless turkey that one character is trying to keep alive in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The ending is a "gotcha" one, but I found it not that shocking coming from such an unreliable narrator. There was also a rapid rise in severity as far as events go -- from boyhood pranks to incest, sodomy and murder. I wouldn't booktalk it, but I would perhaps shelftalk it if I had a teen who was into murder mysteries and wanted something that was quick and easy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2015
I did enjoy this I promise.
Somewhat spoilers:
The two stars I took away from was the characters that didn't seem to develop. Don't get me wrong. When they cut off the head of the chicken (yes I just spoiled because I like leaving teasers) to test out how long "chickens can live with their heads cut off" I found it interesting but, the characters themselves didn't really seem to change. (Kind of like a running around like a chicken with its head cut off. That expression, you know)?
The other star was for how the mystery wrapped it. While the letter at the end was a nice puzzle, it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to be able to go back and point out the other clues, I couldn't.
Overall, I did like the writing style and might read more books by this author.
3/5 almost there stars. :)
Somewhat spoilers:
The two stars I took away from was the characters that didn't seem to develop. Don't get me wrong. When they cut off the head of the chicken (yes I just spoiled because I like leaving teasers) to test out how long "chickens can live with their heads cut off" I found it interesting but, the characters themselves didn't really seem to change. (Kind of like a running around like a chicken with its head cut off. That expression, you know)?
The other star was for how the mystery wrapped it. While the letter at the end was a nice puzzle, it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to be able to go back and point out the other clues, I couldn't.
Overall, I did like the writing style and might read more books by this author.
3/5 almost there stars. :)
July 25, 2008
Another book I am not sure what to make of. I hated the story but was compelled to find out what was going to happen anyway. There was not 1 character I liked or felt much compassion about. Set in 1975, in Alabama it does have some interesting "looks into the seedier side of suburbia" type stuff going on.
I can not really see this having much of a teen audience, maybe it is for adults?! The author has some great writing accolades so I was kind of surprised at not liking it more. It is well written, maybe it is really that the story is so dark, and disturbing (but not unrealistic) that it is hard to like the book. I would love to hear what anyone else thinks.
I can not really see this having much of a teen audience, maybe it is for adults?! The author has some great writing accolades so I was kind of surprised at not liking it more. It is well written, maybe it is really that the story is so dark, and disturbing (but not unrealistic) that it is hard to like the book. I would love to hear what anyone else thinks.
April 8, 2012
Heather Stewart
Mystery
This story is about three teenage boys and their practical jokes on each other. While trying to get Jimmy back for a practical joke he played on them, Walter and Mothball end up killing him and everyone in the town is trying to figure out who did it. Walter’s mother has always despised Jimmy’s family but why he didn’t know. His father is really upset by Jimmy’s death and has never been overly affectionate toward Walter. In the end you find out Jimmy was Walter’s half brother. This book was really intriguing and kept me guessing until the end. There were several aspects of the story that made you wonder what the secret was that Walter’s mother was hiding.
Mystery
This story is about three teenage boys and their practical jokes on each other. While trying to get Jimmy back for a practical joke he played on them, Walter and Mothball end up killing him and everyone in the town is trying to figure out who did it. Walter’s mother has always despised Jimmy’s family but why he didn’t know. His father is really upset by Jimmy’s death and has never been overly affectionate toward Walter. In the end you find out Jimmy was Walter’s half brother. This book was really intriguing and kept me guessing until the end. There were several aspects of the story that made you wonder what the secret was that Walter’s mother was hiding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2008
While it took me a while to get into this book, by the end I was hooked! Initially I felt bored and not connected to any of the characters or the plot for that matter but I kept reading wondering what the pay off would be. This turned out to be a very twisted and dark story. The ending shocked me, I had to go back and reread what happened.
October 9, 2008
A page-turning first novel; it was uneven in some ways, but filled with vivid detail that made scenes and character relationships easy to envision. I ripped through it in a few days. It was more on the teen side of my usual 9-12 year old geared picks (definitely NOT something I could ever recommend to current students!) I'd like to see how this author develops as future books come out.
August 2, 2010
w. . . t. . . f. . .
And I don't say that because of the writing style, or any crazy plot twists, or a surprise ending, or anything like that. I say that because about a fourth of the book was dedicated to a decapitated rooster. And yes, there were details. On top of that, it really didn't even seem to have that much relevance to the true story. Screw that noise.
And I don't say that because of the writing style, or any crazy plot twists, or a surprise ending, or anything like that. I say that because about a fourth of the book was dedicated to a decapitated rooster. And yes, there were details. On top of that, it really didn't even seem to have that much relevance to the true story. Screw that noise.
January 1, 2014
The start was a little hard to get into with the fox and the turkey storyline wasn’t any better. The book focuses on three teenage friends during the summer being mischievous but it takes a twisted turn. The last 100 pages or so it when the book really got interesting for me. Overall I recommend this book it you’re up for a somewhat disturbing story.
October 12, 2012
this book kept me hooked from the begining. it is a very good book to read if you like reading about mysteries, families and friendship. it has a suprising twist that blows the readers mind and puts the icing on the cake. if anyone gets a chance to read it, they should.
Read
July 31, 2009Awesome book...if you haven't read it, read it now.
April 23, 2020
The Hanging Woods by Scott Loring Sanders is brilliant. The writing style/humor in the first half of this remind me of James Herriot. The pictures are so vividly painted. I laughed so hard I cried at some of the ridiculous antics of these three teenage boys. As the book progresses, the humor tapers off and I began to get a Lord of the Flies vibe. I enjoyed how accurately rural Alabama is shown. That’s always been one thing that bothers me about books set in my home state (like non southern actors with their fake syrupy overdone accents). Although I will say that not everyone here is as racist as the characters but almost 50 years (set in 1975) of time passing can change that. I’ll be reeling from the ending of this one for days. I would wholeheartedly recommend this for eleventh and twelfth grade boys for summer reading and don’t think it would appeal to girls much at all. 5 stars.
December 15, 2016
This book is another that fits my favorite reads pile. Set in the 70s, post Viet-Nam war, three best friends set about entertaining themselves in a community that is slowly disappearing because the main business has shuttered its doors. The action is slow, but gets punctuated by moments that break the routine, and introduces new adventures. So, where does the struggle begin? At the start, when the narrator tells us he knows a secret, and that secret drives him to dark and unexpected behaviors. Except for the too tidy ending that comes abruptly, this book was an interesting read. I would think it would appeal to boys more than girls, but don’t let that prevent you from trying it out, or suggesting it to your students.
November 18, 2008
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
You know that feeling you get when you pass a particularly horrific accident? It's not that you want someone to be hurt, but you can't help slowing down to look. That's how I felt as I began reading this book.
The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the events and emotions in this story are not relegated to the 70's. Knowing this human condition exists today gives it even more impact.
Scott Loring Sanders deftly places the reader into the mind of thirteen-year-old Walter. Through Walter, the reader will experience the killing of a fox up close and personal. I could feel the fear and panic of the fox as he struggled against the trap. I felt the life energy of that fox dissipate into nothing through the handle of the stick used to beat him senseless, and I felt both Walter's revulsion and thrill over his first kill. His grandfather had insisted on this savage method. He told Walter, "...you gotta learn the hard way, really feel it with your hands, so you can appreciate the easy way."
This first chapter sets the tone of the book. Disturbing, you say? Absolutely. Fascinating? Positively! I read on, I'll admit, with some trepidation, as a reader who neither hunts, nor appreciates the feeling of satisfaction that hunters must feel when taking their prize, a foreigner to this male world of violence and dominance.
Meet Walter's friends. Jimmy is the leader who's rough around the edges, chiseled and hardened at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father. Mothball's the chubby oddball who aims to become famous by beheading a chicken in just the right way so that he, Mothball, can keep it alive for over eighteen months and, therefore, beat the Guinness Book record. As you might imagine, he's subjected to more than his share of pranks and jokes, which makes him even more determined to succeed.
The boys walk the town in the wee hours of the morning as they pull off ever-escalating pranks on the local townspeople. To prove to one another that they aren't chicken, the risk and fear factors are taken up a notch each night. They venture further toward the Hanging Woods, Niggertown, and the Troll, a homeless Vietnam War veteran. When Troll sees them, they race home, adrenaline pumping, fear lighting a fire beneath their feet. But neither Jimmy nor Mothball knows Walter's secret, that Troll knows him. He called him by name!
The temperament of a thirteen-year-old around his parents is, by design, often volatile and argumentative. These are the times that teens must decide for themselves who they are and who they want to be. They examine the values their parents have tried to teach and compare them with the values their parents have shown. They are bombarded with the voices and opinions of their peers and walk a tightrope between what they are coming to believe about the world, and what they have been taught to believe. Imagine the turmoil Walter must feel when his safety net is snatched away the day he reads the secrets in his mother's diary. Walter's interpretation of those events results in his slow unraveling. The shift in the foundation of his world leaves Walter feeling unable to do anything more than stand by and let the darkness inside take over.
Other reviews have compared this book to TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee and I see the similarities. Certainly the author has nailed the social atmosphere of the time, an interesting statement in itself, since
the two books are set forty years apart. Both books masterfully address cruelty, hate, and prejudice, and both feature an innocent character on trial who makes the perfect target, in part, because they are reclusive and strange, the criminal stereotype. But for me, the similarities end there. Where Atticus Finch patiently strives to teach and show high moral values, the parents in THE HANGING WOODS are equally dysfunctional, instead teaching their son anger, frustration, and resignation.
As I read this book, I was strangely reminded of the classic movie, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, but without the light humor. Both feature rough, real-men-don't-cry type fathers; apologetic, coddling mothers; and sons struggling to find their place in their family and the world. In both, you become immersed in the strange world of guy bonding; fathers attempting to grow their sons up tough.
THE HANGING WOODS is a riveting look into a disturbed mind. I doubt I will soon forget the images and emotions Scott Loring Sanders brought forth in this, his first novel. I warn you, this is a dark, troubling read that will niggle at your conscience for days, if not weeks. But if you're like me, you won't be able to put it down until you find out if Walter's okay, in just the same way that you can't help slowing to view that accident.
I have compared THE HANGING WOODS to two enduring classics. I found myself researching the Tallapoosa River that separated Walter and his friends from Niggertown. I asked a social studies teacher what he knew of the Tallapoosa and the history of the time period. This novel completely got under my skin and instilled a desire in me to find out more.
How could I not also give it a Gold Star? I look forward to reading what Mr. Sanders has to offer next.
You know that feeling you get when you pass a particularly horrific accident? It's not that you want someone to be hurt, but you can't help slowing down to look. That's how I felt as I began reading this book.
The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the events and emotions in this story are not relegated to the 70's. Knowing this human condition exists today gives it even more impact.
Scott Loring Sanders deftly places the reader into the mind of thirteen-year-old Walter. Through Walter, the reader will experience the killing of a fox up close and personal. I could feel the fear and panic of the fox as he struggled against the trap. I felt the life energy of that fox dissipate into nothing through the handle of the stick used to beat him senseless, and I felt both Walter's revulsion and thrill over his first kill. His grandfather had insisted on this savage method. He told Walter, "...you gotta learn the hard way, really feel it with your hands, so you can appreciate the easy way."
This first chapter sets the tone of the book. Disturbing, you say? Absolutely. Fascinating? Positively! I read on, I'll admit, with some trepidation, as a reader who neither hunts, nor appreciates the feeling of satisfaction that hunters must feel when taking their prize, a foreigner to this male world of violence and dominance.
Meet Walter's friends. Jimmy is the leader who's rough around the edges, chiseled and hardened at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father. Mothball's the chubby oddball who aims to become famous by beheading a chicken in just the right way so that he, Mothball, can keep it alive for over eighteen months and, therefore, beat the Guinness Book record. As you might imagine, he's subjected to more than his share of pranks and jokes, which makes him even more determined to succeed.
The boys walk the town in the wee hours of the morning as they pull off ever-escalating pranks on the local townspeople. To prove to one another that they aren't chicken, the risk and fear factors are taken up a notch each night. They venture further toward the Hanging Woods, Niggertown, and the Troll, a homeless Vietnam War veteran. When Troll sees them, they race home, adrenaline pumping, fear lighting a fire beneath their feet. But neither Jimmy nor Mothball knows Walter's secret, that Troll knows him. He called him by name!
The temperament of a thirteen-year-old around his parents is, by design, often volatile and argumentative. These are the times that teens must decide for themselves who they are and who they want to be. They examine the values their parents have tried to teach and compare them with the values their parents have shown. They are bombarded with the voices and opinions of their peers and walk a tightrope between what they are coming to believe about the world, and what they have been taught to believe. Imagine the turmoil Walter must feel when his safety net is snatched away the day he reads the secrets in his mother's diary. Walter's interpretation of those events results in his slow unraveling. The shift in the foundation of his world leaves Walter feeling unable to do anything more than stand by and let the darkness inside take over.
Other reviews have compared this book to TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee and I see the similarities. Certainly the author has nailed the social atmosphere of the time, an interesting statement in itself, since
the two books are set forty years apart. Both books masterfully address cruelty, hate, and prejudice, and both feature an innocent character on trial who makes the perfect target, in part, because they are reclusive and strange, the criminal stereotype. But for me, the similarities end there. Where Atticus Finch patiently strives to teach and show high moral values, the parents in THE HANGING WOODS are equally dysfunctional, instead teaching their son anger, frustration, and resignation.
As I read this book, I was strangely reminded of the classic movie, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, but without the light humor. Both feature rough, real-men-don't-cry type fathers; apologetic, coddling mothers; and sons struggling to find their place in their family and the world. In both, you become immersed in the strange world of guy bonding; fathers attempting to grow their sons up tough.
THE HANGING WOODS is a riveting look into a disturbed mind. I doubt I will soon forget the images and emotions Scott Loring Sanders brought forth in this, his first novel. I warn you, this is a dark, troubling read that will niggle at your conscience for days, if not weeks. But if you're like me, you won't be able to put it down until you find out if Walter's okay, in just the same way that you can't help slowing to view that accident.
I have compared THE HANGING WOODS to two enduring classics. I found myself researching the Tallapoosa River that separated Walter and his friends from Niggertown. I asked a social studies teacher what he knew of the Tallapoosa and the history of the time period. This novel completely got under my skin and instilled a desire in me to find out more.
How could I not also give it a Gold Star? I look forward to reading what Mr. Sanders has to offer next.
January 3, 2010
You know that feeling you get when you pass a particularly horrific accident? It’s not that you want someone to be hurt, but you can’t help slowing down to look. That’s how I felt as I began reading this book.
The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the events and emotions in this story are not relegated to the 70’s. Knowing this human condition exists today, gives this story even more impact.
Scott Loring Sanders deftly places the reader into the mind of thirteen year old Walter. Through Walter, the reader will experience the killing of a fox up close and personal. I could feel the fear and panic of the fox as he struggled against the trap. I felt the life energy of that fox dissipate into nothing through the handle of the stick used to beat him senseless, and I felt both Walter’s revulsion and thrill over his first kill. His grandfather had insisted on this savage method. He told Walter, “…you gotta learn the hard way, really feel it with your hands, so you can appreciate the easy way.”
This first chapter sets the tone of the book. Disturbing, you say? Absolutely. Fascinating? Positively! I read on, I’ll admit, with some trepidation, as a reader who neither hunts, nor appreciates the feeling of satisfaction that hunters must feel when taking their prize, a foreigner to this male world of violence and dominance.
Meet Walter’s friends. Jimmy is the leader who’s rough around the edges, chiseled and hardened at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father. Mothball’s the chubby oddball who aims to become famous by beheading a chicken in just the right way so that he, Mothball, can keep it alive for over 18 months and therefore, beat the Guinness Book record. As you might imagine, he’s subjected to more than his share of pranks and jokes, which makes him even more determined to succeed.
The boys walk the town in the wee hours of the morning as they pull off ever-escalating pranks on the local townspeople. To prove to one another that they aren’t chicken, the risk and fear factors are taken up a notch each night. They venture further toward the Hanging Woods, Niggertown, and the Troll, a homeless Vietnam War veteran. When Troll sees them, they race home, adrenaline pumping, fear lighting a fire beneath their feet. But neither Jimmy nor Mothball knows Walter’s secret, that Troll knows him. He called him by name!
The temperament of a thirteen year old around his parents is, by design, often volatile and argumentative. These are the times that teens must decide for themselves who they are and who they want to be. They examine the values their parents have tried to teach and compare them with the values their parents have shown. They are bombarded with the voices and opinions of their peers and walk a tightrope between what they are coming to believe about the world, and what they have been taught to believe. Imagine the turmoil Walter must feel when his safety net is snatched away the day he reads the secrets in his mother’s diary. Walter’s interpretation of those events results in his slow unraveling. The shift in the foundation of his world leaves Walter feeling unable to do anything more than stand by and let the darkness inside take over.
Other reviews have compared this book to TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee and I see the similarities. Certainly the author has nailed the social atmosphere of the time, an interesting statement in itself, since the two books are set forty years apart. Both books masterfully address cruelty, hate, and prejudice, and both feature an innocent character on trial who makes the perfect target, in part, because they are reclusive and strange, the criminal stereotype. But for me, the similarities end there. Where Atticus Finch patiently strives to teach and show high moral values, the parents in THE HANGING WOODS are equally dysfunctional, instead teaching their son anger, frustration, and resignation.
As I read this book, I was strangely reminded of the classic movie, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, but without the light humor. Both feature rough, real-men-don’t-cry type fathers, apologetic, coddling mothers, and sons struggling to find their place in their family and the world. In both, you become immersed in the strange world of guy bonding; fathers attempting to grow their sons up tough.
THE HANGING WOODS is a riveting look into a disturbed mind. I doubt I will soon forget the images and emotions Scott Loring Sanders brought forth in this, his first, novel. I warn you, this is a dark, troubling read that will niggle at your conscience for days, if not weeks. But if you’re like me, you won’t be able to put it down until you find out if Walter’s okay, in just the same way that you can’t help slowing to view that accident.
I have compared THE HANGING WOODS to two enduring classics. I found myself researching the Tallapoosa River that separated Walter and his friends from Niggertown. I asked a social studies teacher what he knew of the Tallapoosa and the history of the time period. This novel completely got under my skin and instilled a desire in me to find out more.
How could I not also give it a gold star? I look forward to reading what Mr. Sanders has to offer next.
The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the events and emotions in this story are not relegated to the 70’s. Knowing this human condition exists today, gives this story even more impact.
Scott Loring Sanders deftly places the reader into the mind of thirteen year old Walter. Through Walter, the reader will experience the killing of a fox up close and personal. I could feel the fear and panic of the fox as he struggled against the trap. I felt the life energy of that fox dissipate into nothing through the handle of the stick used to beat him senseless, and I felt both Walter’s revulsion and thrill over his first kill. His grandfather had insisted on this savage method. He told Walter, “…you gotta learn the hard way, really feel it with your hands, so you can appreciate the easy way.”
This first chapter sets the tone of the book. Disturbing, you say? Absolutely. Fascinating? Positively! I read on, I’ll admit, with some trepidation, as a reader who neither hunts, nor appreciates the feeling of satisfaction that hunters must feel when taking their prize, a foreigner to this male world of violence and dominance.
Meet Walter’s friends. Jimmy is the leader who’s rough around the edges, chiseled and hardened at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father. Mothball’s the chubby oddball who aims to become famous by beheading a chicken in just the right way so that he, Mothball, can keep it alive for over 18 months and therefore, beat the Guinness Book record. As you might imagine, he’s subjected to more than his share of pranks and jokes, which makes him even more determined to succeed.
The boys walk the town in the wee hours of the morning as they pull off ever-escalating pranks on the local townspeople. To prove to one another that they aren’t chicken, the risk and fear factors are taken up a notch each night. They venture further toward the Hanging Woods, Niggertown, and the Troll, a homeless Vietnam War veteran. When Troll sees them, they race home, adrenaline pumping, fear lighting a fire beneath their feet. But neither Jimmy nor Mothball knows Walter’s secret, that Troll knows him. He called him by name!
The temperament of a thirteen year old around his parents is, by design, often volatile and argumentative. These are the times that teens must decide for themselves who they are and who they want to be. They examine the values their parents have tried to teach and compare them with the values their parents have shown. They are bombarded with the voices and opinions of their peers and walk a tightrope between what they are coming to believe about the world, and what they have been taught to believe. Imagine the turmoil Walter must feel when his safety net is snatched away the day he reads the secrets in his mother’s diary. Walter’s interpretation of those events results in his slow unraveling. The shift in the foundation of his world leaves Walter feeling unable to do anything more than stand by and let the darkness inside take over.
Other reviews have compared this book to TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee and I see the similarities. Certainly the author has nailed the social atmosphere of the time, an interesting statement in itself, since the two books are set forty years apart. Both books masterfully address cruelty, hate, and prejudice, and both feature an innocent character on trial who makes the perfect target, in part, because they are reclusive and strange, the criminal stereotype. But for me, the similarities end there. Where Atticus Finch patiently strives to teach and show high moral values, the parents in THE HANGING WOODS are equally dysfunctional, instead teaching their son anger, frustration, and resignation.
As I read this book, I was strangely reminded of the classic movie, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, but without the light humor. Both feature rough, real-men-don’t-cry type fathers, apologetic, coddling mothers, and sons struggling to find their place in their family and the world. In both, you become immersed in the strange world of guy bonding; fathers attempting to grow their sons up tough.
THE HANGING WOODS is a riveting look into a disturbed mind. I doubt I will soon forget the images and emotions Scott Loring Sanders brought forth in this, his first, novel. I warn you, this is a dark, troubling read that will niggle at your conscience for days, if not weeks. But if you’re like me, you won’t be able to put it down until you find out if Walter’s okay, in just the same way that you can’t help slowing to view that accident.
I have compared THE HANGING WOODS to two enduring classics. I found myself researching the Tallapoosa River that separated Walter and his friends from Niggertown. I asked a social studies teacher what he knew of the Tallapoosa and the history of the time period. This novel completely got under my skin and instilled a desire in me to find out more.
How could I not also give it a gold star? I look forward to reading what Mr. Sanders has to offer next.
November 29, 2017
All time Favorite book.
June 28, 2019
Read this in high school. Loved it. Very interesting read.
December 14, 2022
I love this book, it has a gritty realistic feel to it and it pulled me in. I haven't been satisfied by anything I've read lately so it was a breathe of fresh air.
June 10, 2008
Sanders, Scott Loring. 2008. The Hanging Woods.
What can I say about this one? Really? Truly? It's dark. It's depressing. It's truly dreadful--dreadful in content, not style. It's disturbing, very disturbing. A difficult read, a discomforting read. Warped. Twisted. And oh-so-wrong.
First sentence: "In 1975, when I was thirteen, I killed a fox. It happened a few weeks after I'd snuck into my mother's room and read her diary. That diary told me a lot of things that I didn't want to know. Or maybe I did want to know them. I can't say for sure."
The good news is that you should be able to tell fairly early on whether or not The Hanging Woods is for you. In the first chapter alone we've got the slaughtering of a fox and a chicken. (And the two aren't connected. The fox wasn't after the chicken.) In the second chapter, we see many signs of unhealthy relationships. Relationships between friends. Relationships between families. And we see our first human death. Very bizarre. Not exactly murder. Not exactly calculated. But strange indeed. And in the third chapter, we learn that our narrator, Walter, committed arson. He burned a house down. So right from the start you know this is going to be one dark-and-weird book. It's not for everyone. The language. The violence. The subject matter. It just paints a very dark and unpleasant portrait of humanity. Not that I'm denying that humans can be ugly and cruel and tortured and demented and perverted and whatnot. But dismal, dismal, very dismal.
The Hanging Woods is about the breakdown of friends, of family, of the mind itself.
Personally, I don't like dark and edgy all that much. I prefer my narrators a bit more sane. HOWEVER I know that some readers will appreciate this one. It is well written. If it had been poorly written, I wouldn't have found the strength to keep reading.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
What can I say about this one? Really? Truly? It's dark. It's depressing. It's truly dreadful--dreadful in content, not style. It's disturbing, very disturbing. A difficult read, a discomforting read. Warped. Twisted. And oh-so-wrong.
First sentence: "In 1975, when I was thirteen, I killed a fox. It happened a few weeks after I'd snuck into my mother's room and read her diary. That diary told me a lot of things that I didn't want to know. Or maybe I did want to know them. I can't say for sure."
The good news is that you should be able to tell fairly early on whether or not The Hanging Woods is for you. In the first chapter alone we've got the slaughtering of a fox and a chicken. (And the two aren't connected. The fox wasn't after the chicken.) In the second chapter, we see many signs of unhealthy relationships. Relationships between friends. Relationships between families. And we see our first human death. Very bizarre. Not exactly murder. Not exactly calculated. But strange indeed. And in the third chapter, we learn that our narrator, Walter, committed arson. He burned a house down. So right from the start you know this is going to be one dark-and-weird book. It's not for everyone. The language. The violence. The subject matter. It just paints a very dark and unpleasant portrait of humanity. Not that I'm denying that humans can be ugly and cruel and tortured and demented and perverted and whatnot. But dismal, dismal, very dismal.
The Hanging Woods is about the breakdown of friends, of family, of the mind itself.
Personally, I don't like dark and edgy all that much. I prefer my narrators a bit more sane. HOWEVER I know that some readers will appreciate this one. It is well written. If it had been poorly written, I wouldn't have found the strength to keep reading.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
October 24, 2016
"The hanging woods" is sort of like a car crash. Horrible to look at, but somehow you HAVE to look. Have to stare. Have to know what happened. My basic thoughts while reading this was "well that was fucked up."
And it is.
But it works in the books favor, making it into something so odd and disturbing that you have to know what happened. And sometimes, a disturbing story is just what a reader wants to see.
The story is crazy but good. The characters are insane and crude, but also complex and well rounded. The whole thing is creepy and extremely atmospheric. It's very well written to. Simplistic in structure, with very good, realistic insulting banter between the main 3 characters. This is a pretty go representation of how teen boys talk thier mamas are out of ear shot. Although I don't think most boys are this crude and mean in their "friendships."
This book and me angry and sad all at once and the mysteries were great. It's completely messed up book with some very adult language and mature themes. It wasn't what I was expecting. Honestly, I picked it out of the library cause it looked like a ghost story At first glance. It's not a ghost story. but it's amazing. Especially if you like mysteries and thrillers.
Recommended for fans of "to kill a mockingbird", but definitely not for the faint of heart.
And it is.
But it works in the books favor, making it into something so odd and disturbing that you have to know what happened. And sometimes, a disturbing story is just what a reader wants to see.
The story is crazy but good. The characters are insane and crude, but also complex and well rounded. The whole thing is creepy and extremely atmospheric. It's very well written to. Simplistic in structure, with very good, realistic insulting banter between the main 3 characters. This is a pretty go representation of how teen boys talk thier mamas are out of ear shot. Although I don't think most boys are this crude and mean in their "friendships."
This book and me angry and sad all at once and the mysteries were great. It's completely messed up book with some very adult language and mature themes. It wasn't what I was expecting. Honestly, I picked it out of the library cause it looked like a ghost story At first glance. It's not a ghost story. but it's amazing. Especially if you like mysteries and thrillers.
Recommended for fans of "to kill a mockingbird", but definitely not for the faint of heart.
October 31, 2008
I picked this up because the cover and the blurbs made it seem like a "Stand by Me" sort of novel. Set in the 1970s in a small, struggling working class town, this is the story of 3 teen boys who are uneasy with themselves and with each other.
Trust is a major theme in this book - though lifelong friends, the three main characters don't trust each other at all. They make mention of John Knowles "A Seperate Peace" and there are some interesting parallels.
The characters don't grab you, and the story is very plodding for the first 3/4 of the book. Everyone is mildly to stronly racist, but little to no moral judgement attached. The only bright spot is a headless turkey that one character is trying to keep alive in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The ending is a "gotcha" one, but I found it not that shocking coming from such an unreliable narrator. I wouldn't booktalk it, but I may shelftalk it if I had a teen who was into murder mysteries and wanted something that was quick and easy.
Trust is a major theme in this book - though lifelong friends, the three main characters don't trust each other at all. They make mention of John Knowles "A Seperate Peace" and there are some interesting parallels.
The characters don't grab you, and the story is very plodding for the first 3/4 of the book. Everyone is mildly to stronly racist, but little to no moral judgement attached. The only bright spot is a headless turkey that one character is trying to keep alive in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The ending is a "gotcha" one, but I found it not that shocking coming from such an unreliable narrator. I wouldn't booktalk it, but I may shelftalk it if I had a teen who was into murder mysteries and wanted something that was quick and easy.
November 8, 2011
I was expecting something different with this book. More creep factor given the title and the picture on the dust jacket, I guess. Although, it still was not a bad story. The ending really threw me for a loop. I wasn't expecting that at all! I still don't understand why Walter was so deranged. I'm not sure reading that in my mother's diary would have made me a cold blooded killer. To each his own though. I was also surprised by the "young adult" content of this book. Sometimes I felt it was bordering more on the adult side, which is just fine by me...it was simply something I wasn't expecting from a YA novel. I also think that this book could give Huckleberry Finn a run for its money with the usage of the word "nigger". Ok, well it wasn't used THAT many times, but I saw it quite a few times.
With this novel being not what I expected, I was still impressed. Sanders writing style was smooth and I loved reading a YA novel with male main characters. I don't see that enough.
With this novel being not what I expected, I was still impressed. Sanders writing style was smooth and I loved reading a YA novel with male main characters. I don't see that enough.
January 22, 2012
At first, it seemed like this book was going to be another Stand By Me or something, and I was a bit disappointed. But then it took a very interesting and unique turn, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I felt like I figured out the end quite near the beginning of the book, but it didn't ruin it for me. I did feel like we received a lot of information in a rush in the last few chapters, and that it ended abruptly, but that's okay, because it added to the uneasy tone of the novel. I loved the unreliable narrator. I had a hard time picking it up again after a chapter or two, but by halfway through, I had a hard time putting it down. I would give this book four stars if the beginning hadn't lagged for me.
June 22, 2013
Well, this is an interesting book, but I would recommend it only for HS kids. There is much cursing going on, I don't really know where to begin. At first I thought about just putting the book down and not read it, but then I thought I better continue and give the librarian at the HS a heads up. Well, the book did suck me in! I wanted to know if the kids have a conscience or not, where the author was going to go with the story, and how he will solve it all. Well, I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you read it you will figure a few things out, have your suspicions on others, and might get surprised at the end. But do be aware of all the cursing...the f word is used quite often and it's a bit unbelievable to think the kids in the 60s where talking this way...
January 26, 2012
This unsettling, tragic tale records the events of one strange summer among three friends—vindictive trickster Jimmy, soft, pudgy Mothball, and the enigmatic Walter—in a small Alabama town during the 1970s. After Jimmy plays a cruel trick on them, Walter and Mothball decide to return the favor. Things go awry when their joke ends in tragedy, and the boys find themselves scrambling for reasons to justify their actions. Fans of happy endings are advised to steer clear of this one. The oppressive atmosphere of this weird, sordid novel will haunt the reader long after the story is finished. Recommended for Ages 16-Up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews