We have all heard the tales and the legends. We all know the story of red riding hood. We are familiar with gothic tales with the likes of Emily Brontë and Edgar Allan Poe. We know of urban legends that inspire fear in our hearts, the irrational fear that refuses to let go of you when it’s late at night and the lights are out. But Through the Woods by Emily Carroll takes these fears and turns them up. It grips you by the arms and makes you wander off into an eerie world.
In this collection of five grim (see what I did there?) stories, we the readers follow the compelling, terrifying tales of the characters as they journey into the woods and into the depths of their fears and emotions. Filled with mesmerizing illustrations and truly chilling words, you find yourself arrested by the horror that you watch unfold. It feels impossible to look away, even as a shiver crawls up your spine. You’ll read it as you peek through the fingers covering your eyes and find yourself asking yourself: “Are we out of the woods yet?”
Before we enter the woods with the main five tales, Carroll gives us an introduction. And oh boy, what an introduction it is! Everyone knows the fear of turning off lights and having to take in the dark. However, Caroll takes this common childhood fear and escalates it, tapping into the fear of what might lurk in the dark of night. It does what any good introduction should do: It sets the stage, tells you what to expect and gives you a glimpse of what is to come. It is as if Carroll puts up a sign saying danger ahead, turn back while you can.
The first tale, “Our Neighbour’s House” is a chilling tale set in a winter but not much of a wonderland. Three girls find themselves alone at home left to fend for themselves but unable to stock up on supplies. And then, one sister meets a man with a big smile. Then she vanishes.
The second tale, “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold” is a beguiling take on gothic horror and the ‘woman marries a rich man with dark secrets and hears things go bump in the night’ trope. The arresting serene blues and reds, the song you can almost hear, the Tim Burton-esque art style, all makes this not only feel like it could be a real urban legend, but also makes it the most beautiful story in this graphic novel, in my humble opinion.
Meanwhile, “His Face All Red” seems to borrow from Poe’s classic ‘telltale heart’ story of guilt eating someone up and putting it up against a doppelganger, making you, like the lead, watch in equal parts horror and wonder as to what is really at play.
The fourth tale, “My Friend Janna” explores what childish trickery may lead to in a sinister world. The wicked are forced to confront their guilt, which turns in a living pulsing monster. Or perhaps they’re overcome by a ghost, a demon, a madness. Who knows? That’s the beauty of it. You never know. The tales are drenched in metaphors and abstractions, the only certainty is that there is no certainty.
The fifth and penultimate tale is “The Nesting Place”, which is not only a take on classic body horror tropes but it also, quite aptly, explains what the worst kind of monster and horror is. Not the kind with cheap jump scares like in the movies, no. The worst kind of horror is the one that eats into you, your anxieties, your fears, your grief. And I think that’s also why this graphic novel is so good. It’s not only chilling at the moment. It haunts you, lasts with you for a long time.
Our journey with this graphic novel ends with a final tale. The Conclusion is a small red riding hood retelling that makes you reexamine the original like any good retelling should, horror or not. I can’t really put its impact into words, not the way Emily Carroll's work does, so I'll let this panel speak for itself.
All in all, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, is a graphic novel that taps into the familiar fear of the unknown, paying homage to the eeriness that is infused in gothic and fairy tales and dials the horror up a few notches. I don’t really believe in rating books on an objective and generalized system, so instead, I’ll tell you that I really loved this masterpiece. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and if you think it may be your cup of tea, you might too.
Works Cited:
Carroll, Emily. Through the Woods. New York, Margaret K. Mcelderry Books, 2014.
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