Book Review: Come Forth in Thaw

Jayson Robert Ducharme's Come Forth in Thaw is a beautiful, haunting book about loss and grief, as well as survival. It begins with Eleanor Jackson venturing into Adrienne Forest State Park (a fictional location based on Aokigahara Forest in Japan - known as a popular place for committing suicide). Ellie's convinced her son has come here to kill himself, and she ventures into a surreal world, filled with ghosts of the dead and other forest spirits, to look for him.

Ellie's experiences in the forest play out like a dark, tragic version of Alice in Wonderland. The places and inhabitants are surreal, and I was particularly enchanted with the Donneur Vie, a tree like spirit and soul of the forest. Ducharme is excellent at describing Ellie's dreamlike experiences in the forest; as a reader I could clearly picture every place and creature.

The novel is equally adept in its depiction of grief and suicidal ideation. I've suffered from depression since I was a child and am also a survivor of a suicide attempt, and Ducharme's writing hauntingly evokes the desperation and hopelessness that can be felt by those attempting suicide. He doesn't romanticize it though and ultimately presents a hopeful outlook for his lost and grief stricken characters.

Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy in exchange for a honest review.