Finished: "The Ruins" by Scott Smith

Finished: The Ruins by Scott Smith, 2006, 1400043875.

I finished this at the DMV. I was a couple pages from the end when my number was called so I finished reading the book in the parking lot.

Good book. I read a strong recommendation a week or two ago and received this copy from Watertown.

Recent college graduates on a long summer trip to Cancun make friends with a German named Mathias. Mathias's brother took off from Cancun to chase a girl who was headed to a remote archeological dig in the jungle. When his brother does not return or contact Mathias he gets the four college students to travel with him along with a Greek tourist they have been hanging out with. The six of them travel to the remote site and upon arrival at the hilltop of the archeological site are threatened by an armed Mayan man rushing up on horseback.

Once the six of them step upon the vine covered hillside the Mayan man refuses to let them leave. Soon, more armed Mayans arrive to prevent their departure and the six discover that the vine covering the hilltop is both sentient and hungry.

I spoke to another reader about the novel's plot and characters and she felt that none of the characters were likable. I thought that the reactions of the characters to their "shipwreck" situation of being stuck on a hill with little food and water was realistic. That's all Ruins is, really; a modern, and slightly science fiction, version of six people in a lifeboat.