Oblivion Road by Alex McAulay

Having read Alex's two previous thrillers, I am somewhat disappointed with this one. Unlike his other novels, "Oblivion Road" lacks character development -- something I need in my reading materials to keep me happy.

This book reads just as a scary movie: it relies on plot and suspense to keep the audience entertained without much else. The beginning of the book jumps head first into action as a group of friends get into a car accident on their way home from a skiing trip. With one of the teenagers terribly wounded and the others in not-so-great condition, Courtney and her friends are forced to go off into the snowy oblivion to search for help. To make matters worse, an escape convict named Leonard is running lose in the woods. He's already murdered his family and eaten his own sister -- pretty morbid stuff. And trust me, true to a good horror flick, this book gets gross. Don't say I didn't warn you when you find out what I'm talking about. McAulay is great with descriptions. It's just the characters themselves I'm less than crazy about.

While Courtney, the main character, is nice, I feel like I hardly know her. And I don't understand why she is best friends with self-centered Reyna, who is the stock character of a bitchy controlling friend needing to be put in her place. Then there's Jeremy, the guy stuck on the corner of a love triangle, who slowly goes insane. I think I would have enjoyed a few flashbacks here and there -"Lost" style - to get a better idea of the characters. That way I may have been more invested in the value of their lives, rather than feeling apathetic over whether or not they all died.

Lack of character development aside, I was impressed with McAulay's ability to thrill and chill. I was compelled to keep reading after every page, and got scared at night when engrossed in the truly horrifying passages. It's a quick read that is sure to entertain, as long as you're into the thriller/suspense genre. I recommend it between literary classics or as a plane ride companion. Just think of it as a scary movie, and you can't be dissapointed.