The Haunted Woods

The Haunted Woods is the third installment in the "Waterville, Mo" saga by author Nicholas Lewis. The novel focuses on a ritual celebration every Halloween in the small Missouri town during the early to mid-1980's. Inspired by novels and short stories from Nathaniel Hawthorne as well as real-life events, Lewis chose to show the horror of living in a small town.

The main protagonist, Kyle Nathaniel Harper, is a senior in high school, fairly vapid on the surface, but intuitive to the evilness in his surroundings. As he and the town prepare for the fall festivities, which includes four nights of "The Haunted Woods," Kyle starts to be introduced to the true nature of his parents, friends, and the rest of the town.

Told from first person point of view, the story moves back and forth from nightmare sequence to actual reality, which is meant to throw the reader off as well develop questions AbOUT the inner psyche of the main character.