How far can you go into the woods?

Piecing together the past has proven to be a challenge. The unnamed main character in Penpal has reflected on his childhood and called in the help of his mother to fill in the gaps. In a narrative that bounces through time the protagonist recalls playing with his best friend Josh, spending time in the woods behind his house, and participating in an anonymous penpal project at school. All is well until strange yet seemingly harmless events mesh together to paint a sinister picture, leading back to the same source.

There’s a Goodreads review for this novel that says “Creepypasta more like weepypasta!!” and I couldn’t agree more. Penpal is horror with heart. The story was told nonlinear which in some cases could be confusing. Here, I felt as I was sitting at a table with someone as they recalled their most precious memories with their best friend. As a child it’s easy to not sense the full scope of a dangerous situation. Superman complex is real with children, they’re young and are convinced that nothing is a danger, until it is. We see that numerous times throughout the story with the boys, which makes the knock the air from your lungs ending so much more gut churning. Penpal’s origins are easily distinguishable; it reads like a long, personal blog post. This book offered way more emotional depth than I was prepared for, in the best way. Ominous, foreboding, heartbreaking. Read this !!