Out of the Woods is the thought provoking novel by Gretchen Shirm based on the 1995 massacre of thousands of civilians in Srebrenica and the ensuing trial of a former military man charged with war crimes.
I was expecting Out of the Woods to be a lot more harrowing than it was, with descriptive witness statements of the genocide and brutality. However the short extracts of statements were more about what impact witnessing these acts had on their lives.
Whilst Shirm uses real witness statement extracts and the trial of a former General by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was a real trial the character of Jess is fictitious.
Out of the Woods focuses mainly on Jess and her mental health, having to listen to the statements day after day, her conflicting thoughts on the case and how hard it was for her to disassociate herself from the case.
Jess is very hard to connect with. She is awkward and so uptight, always looking for hidden meaning in people's actions and words. It was hard work being in her headspace. We follow Jess's journey through a complex round of emotions as she navigates her divorce, her relationship with her mother, making new friends and opening herself up to romance.
Even though Jess was a complex character, the concept of how listening to crimes can affect a person's mental health is intriguing and offers some thought to people who have to sit on juries.
Shirm's writing is beautifully descriptive, almost poetic, and we get some lovely scenes as Jess plays tourist in the area on her days off.
Out of the Woods is thought provoking and topical. I was compelled to google the 1995 massacre to find out more information.
My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Transit Lounge
Publication date: 1st April 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 352
RRP: AU$34.99
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media
will need to read this book my parents were from this country
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