Chuck Wendig's The Book of Accidents blew my mind a few years ago. It was scary, relentlessly paced, and was one of several titles that reinvigorated my love for horror novels, hence the many stacks of them covering most flat surfaces in my home. His latest, the intriguingly titled The Staircase in the Woods, might be even better.
Anyone that has spent some time reading "creepy pastas" online or generally browsing r/creepy has probably heard of staircases in the woods. You can find photos both fictional and real (abandoned homes, typically) of such all over the web, and even some physical tourist attractions if you want to see one in person. I would advise you don't try to find the staircase featured in Wendig's new novel, though. This book tells the story of a friend group -- five youths who have formed what they call The Covenant, in which they swear to always have each other's back -- and the thing that happened during their teen years that haunts them, now down one member, for years to come.
You see, one planned trip to have some fun away from the world in their local woods ends terribly when Matty, the well-liked school/sports/social standout of the group, climbs a mysterious staircase they've unexpectedly stumbled upon. He gets to the top and steps/jumps off... and disappears. The other friends panic. They search for him, thinking he's playing some sort of joke. They eventually stage it so people will think he has maybe fallen off of a cliff, and, this being the 1990s, the community blames them for the popular kid's disappearance, anyway. They're kind of strange kids, after all -- maybe this is one of those Satanic things!
It's not, of course. What it actually is for the group is a friendship-fracturing disaster that follows them around forever. Owen, a nervous, self-doubting teen with a deadbeat dad, was jealous of Matty's relationship with Lore. Lore, who was mad at Matty the night of his disappearance, carries that burden around. Nick, the clown but also the hothead of the group, willingly takes most of the heat for the disappearance by admitting to the police that there had been drugs and alcohol involved that night and gets sent off to juvie. Hamish, who struggles with his self-image, turns to religion and fitness and, well, Republican politics.
Years pass and Lore has made a name for herself in the world of video game development. She has done so by perhaps abandoning Owen on a project they had dreamed up together, which has left him deeply resentful. Hamish has made himself successful and fit and has gotten married and had kids, but bickers with Lore about politics and has a few secrets of his own. Nick has spent years emailing everyone asking them to come back to their hometown to help look for Matty again, often including online posts about similar staircases in the woods. Now, though, something forces everyone to finally return: Nick has informed them that he has cancer and doesn't have much time left.
Owen finds the courage to hop on a plane. Lore is struggling with her game and her guilt over her final night with Matty, so she's in, too. Hamish seems excited to see his friends despite the somber occasion. And Nick? Well, he might have some surprises in store. He gets everyone back home but hasn't arranged hotel rooms for them like they expect. No, he's got something else in mind. A trip into the woods. Into the woods where he has once again discovered a strange staircase standing all on its own. And this time, everyone is climbing it. Once they do, all hell breaks loose... or does it surround them?
You see, at the top of that staircase is a house. It's a strange house. The rooms don't make sense and the doors shift. There are horrors to be found everywhere. Grief and terror seep from the very walls. And every passing room is going to push Owen, Lore, Hamish, and Nick further into the dark depths of their "Covenant," their minds, and their very understanding of reality. To talk much about the labyrinth they find themselves in would be to spoil the sweat-inducing and nightmare-fueling brilliance of Wendig's novel, so that's all I'll divulge here.
Chuck's prose, as ever, is clear and concise and will have you flipping through pages and chapters with horrified joy. The sign of any good book is that constant feeling that you just have to read one more page, and The Staircase in the Woods doesn't disappoint on that front. I may have extended one (or two... ) of my lunch breaks at work to tear through another few chapters. Just when you think you have a handle on what Wendig's shifting house at the top of the stairs is really about, he twists things on you again. The scares aren't limited to sights and sounds. Deep-rooted anxieties, repressed memories, and relived traumas are all fair game once the friends climb those steps. It's riveting stuff that I thoroughly enjoyed and plan on bugging all of my reading friends to check out as soon as it hits shelves next year. This one's a new favorite.
5/5
I received an advance copy of this book for review. It will be released April 29, 2025 by Del Rey Books.
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