Man in the Woods [Hardcover]

Scott Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 14, 2010

One of the most acclaimed modern American novelists, Scott Spencer captures the intensity of human passion—and its capacity to both destroy and redeem—with unparalleled precision and insight. Now, in his most stunning novel yet, this wry, witty, and deeply sensitive writer returns to the territory of his New York Times bestseller A Ship Made of Paper, in a gripping and provocative psychological thriller of morality and manhood, choice and fate.

Paul has been on his own since he was a teenager, leading a life of freedom and independence, beholden to no one and nothing. Fearless, resolute, and guided by his own private moral code, he has hunted for food in Alaska, fought forest fires, and been deputized in a manhunt for a kidnapper in South Dakota. Once he thought his life would have no particular rhyme or reason, touched only by transient strangers. Then he meets the beautiful, intelligent, loving Kate Ellis and her daughter, Ruby, who offer order and constancy. But Paul is a man of deep convictions, and the compromises we all make to get along in the world elude him.

On his way home after rejecting a job remodeling a luxurious Manhattan apartment, Paul stops to gather his thoughts at a state park just off the highway. Instead of peace, he finds a man savagely beating a dog, and in a few fateful moments Paul is plunged into a world of violence and onto a tumultuous journey of self-knowledge, guilt, and redemption.

With the psychological acuity and razor-sharp prose for which he has been celebrated, award-winning, bestselling novelist Scott Spencer once again takes us on an unforgettable journey of manhood lost and found.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Spencer, a deft explorer of obsessive love and violence, confronts the consequences of doing wrong for all the right reasons in his exquisite latest. Paul Phillips, a master carpenter, is living in bucolic upstate New York with Kate Ellis, the woman Spencer first introduced, along with her beguiling daughter, Ruby, in A Ship Made of Paper. But Paul's life begins to implode after a chance encounter results in an irrevocable act that no one witnesses, save a mixed-breed dog he renames Shep. Paul suffers the burden of his terrible secret: the fear of discovery and punishment and the equally disturbing fear of getting away with his crime. The incident and its fallout color his just-about-perfect life with lover Kate, now a recovered alcoholic turned famous inspirational writer, and particularly affects nine-year-old Ruby. As always, Spencer creates complex and genuine characters, the most marvelous character being Shep, the hapless rescue dog who endures abuse and becomes Ruby's pet. Spencer portrays the dog's life minus the sentimentality and anthropomorphism forced upon animals in fiction, and ingeniously uses Shep in this compelling story's dénouement--which underscores how even the most loving relationship might not be able to redeem a deadly act.
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From Bookmarks Magazine

What happens if we're not made to pay for our crimes? This question lies at the heart of Man in the Woods, a psychological and philosophical thriller about belief, guilt, responsibility, love, religion, and the randomness of life. Critics had mostly praise for the novel, with its intelligent plotting, gorgeous prose, powerful and serious tone, vivid characters (especially Kate), and commentary on turn-of-the-century America. A few reviewers thought that Spencer sometimes obscures his own message; others noted some uneven prose and dialogue. But the verdict is in: after reading the book, "you should expect to come out of the woods shaken, and satisfied" (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; First Edition edition (September 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061466557
• ISBN-13: 978-0061466557
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott Spencer was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Chicago, and now lives in upstate New York. He is the author of nine novels, including Endless Love, Waking the Dead, A Ship Made of Paper, and Willing. He has taught at the University of Iowa, Williams College, and Columbia University. His nonfiction has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, O, Harper's, and The New York Times.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is Civilization Merely a Façade? September 14, 2010

By Bonnie Brody TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Scott Spencer's Man in the Woods is a novel that chronicles the life of Paul Phillips, a man who has been on his own since he was sixteen years old. Paul is both a simple and a complex man - simple because he has relied on good luck and good looks to open many doors, and complicated because he is an artisan of deep convictions that he is unwilling to compromise. He is not a man to say very much but a lot goes on in his mind that does not come out in words. He creates beautiful furniture, crafts, and remodels with wood. Each type of wood speaks to him in its own way. He has never given a lot of thought to his life. Where he is and what he's doing have a way of simply falling into place. He has traveled around a lot, living in Alaska, South Dakota, Colorado and currently in rural New York State.

As the book opens, Paul is living with Kate Ellis, a character from Scott Spencer's previous book, A Ship Made of Paper. Kate has become quite famous recently for her book, `Prays Well With Others'. She is also sought after for speaking engagements and radio and television appearances. Her book is a best-seller and Kate considers herself a liberal Christian who believes deeply in the power of Christ and the lord. She is also a very sensual woman and her love for Paul is unconditional and unwavering. She wishes Paul would marry her but he seems to have an aversion to cementing the relationship though it is monogamous and committed. Kate's book and talks are about the day to day things in her life that she believes make her an `every woman' and also bring her closer to God. She is raising a daughter, Ruby, as a single mother with a mostly absentee father. Paul's relationship with Ruby is good though he does not try to substitute as her dad.

As the book opens, Paul has gone to see about work in Manhattan and is not thrilled about the quality of the job he is being asked to do. He is reticent to accept the contract. Money does not play a huge part in his life though he makes more than enough to get by. With Kate's success, money is the very least of his problems and Kate is happy enough to support them both. On his way back home, he stops in a park near Tarrytown to sit and think, to ponder his life and his reasons for being so strongly opposed to the possibility of the work he was just offered. Though Paul thinks he is alone, he soon realizes that there is someone else close by, a man and his dog.

The man with the dog is Will Claff, though that is not the name he goes by anymore. He has traveled from his home city of Los Angeles around the country, changing his name in each place he stops. His modus operandi is that he usually meets a woman who takes pity on him and will put him up for a while. Will tells the woman that he has traveled to her community to take a job but the person who offered him the job committed suicide right before Will arrived. Thus, he is without work and without means. The truth is that Will has about five thousand dollars in gambling debts and he is paranoid that the people he owes money to are out to get him and surely will kill him once he's found.

Will has just finished jogging, and as the paths of these two men cross, Paul witnesses Will being cruelly sadistic to his dog. This is not an act that Paul can tolerate and, impulsively, he acts in a way that will change his life forever. This can be a theme in Spencer's books - the idea of one impulsive act forever creating a changed and damaged life - and is observed in A Ship Made of Paper and Endless Love.

From this day onward, Paul wonders about himself, about his core essence and how civilized he truly is or isn't. He questions whether he is feral, an animal at the core and not a good man. The book is beautifully written and dramatically unfolds. It is deep, thrilling, and unbearably difficult to read at times. Spencer has created a gem, a modern look at good and evil. While he provides the questions, the answers and judgments rest in the hands of the reader.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating read, richly written November 11, 2010

By Kurt

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I recently finished Man in the Woods, and waited to write this review. I bought the book based upon a favorable review in the New York Times Book Review. From its basic description, it sounded like an American "Crime and Punishment"--early on, the protagonist kills a person of doubtful importance by contemporary standards, then lives with what he has done. As the story unravels, the weight of his action takes its toll. The novel is entirely different from Crime and Punishment, as it turns out, but was nevertheless a great psychological study not only of the protagonist, but the other imperfect characters that fill his life.

Other reviewers have criticized the book because, in their opinion, a lot of the side issues explored are not fully developed; I have to disagree. From a literary standpoint, I found the lack of full resolution very rewarding. The book invites the reader to ponder an issue, to develop his or her own views on an issue, and to observe how this issue affects the characters.

I also felt the book had some of the most memorable writing I've encountered in recent years.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer December 17, 2010

By Marvi

Format:Hardcover

What a disappointment ! I can't believe this is the same author as the man who wrote "The Rich Man's Table," beautifully felt and realized, one of my favorite contemporary novels. Spencer seems tired here and careless, as if he is just going through the paces in time to meet his editor's deadline. The premise is interesting--a man kills someone over his outrage about a dog being abused--and then lives with this awareness through the other aspects of his life. He's not going to turn himself in because he can't face ruining his perfect life. But Spencer just tosses off the plot and the thinking and feeling that follow, as if he is preoccupied with other things and can't focus hard enough to make this world of yuppies with a lot of land come alive. No one in the novel seems real, including Paul whose consciousness provides almost the entire point of view. When the ending came it seemed pointless because I simply didn't care.

It's time to stop looking for another "Rich Man's Table" and let Spencer go.