I wanted to say a quick few words about this before I forgot. It's already been a few days since I finished this.
In Darkling Wood is an interesting yet highly frustrating book. It's one of those where it has to be illogical to make sense. The main plot is even illogical. Alice has been helping take care of her sick younger brother for ages, after her father abandoned the family, yet she's shipped off to live with her bizarro paternal grandmother while her brother gets a heart transplant. Sending her away during the school year just makes no sense to me. There's really no reason that something else could not have been worked out. The adults also spend far too much time hiding things from Alice and treating her like she hasn't been instrumental in helping her little brother.
Then the grandmother is a useless trip who neither wants to nor properly knows how to care for a child. There's not even enough food in the house and she continually shuts Alice out when poor Alice needs a stable environment the most. I really disliked the grandmother. I still do, even after the book's ending, because her actions were explained, but that doesn't make her behavior any less shitty.
The people in town are all pissy because Alice's grandmother is trying to tear down the old woods around her house and they take it out on Alice.
I honestly think Alice acts like more of an adult than every single actual adult in this book and I haaaaaaaaaaaaate that. I consider it pretty bad writing really.
I did like the character of Flo though and her twist is a good one. Max, the one friend Alice makes, is also a good character.
I just wish Carroll could have figured out how to tell this story without making every adult in it act poorly.
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