Don’t Let the Forest In Summary, Characters and Themes

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews is a dark, atmospheric YA horror novel that blends Gothic horror, folk horror, and themes of grief, trauma, and identity. 

Set at Wickwood Academy, the story follows Andrew Perrault, a sensitive and introspective high school senior, as he grapples with his asexuality, mental health struggles, and his complex relationship with his best friend, Thomas Rye. Strange occurrences at the school, including terrifying monsters emerging from Thomas’s drawings, lead the boys into a battle against both external and internal demons. At its core, the novel is about self-acceptance, the pain of unrequited love, and confronting one’s deepest fears.

Summary

Andrew Perrault’s senior year at Wickwood Academy is supposed to mark a fresh start, but his return is far from what he expected. 

After a difficult summer where he confessed his unspoken feelings for his best friend, Thomas Rye, in a letter, Andrew finds himself at odds with the only person who truly understands him. 

Thomas, usually warm and protective, is now distant and increasingly secretive, keeping his distance from Andrew while his twin sister, Dove, also pulls away. The tension is palpable, leaving Andrew feeling more alone than ever.

At Wickwood, the backdrop of the looming forest is never far from the students’ minds. The academy’s strict structure is sharply contrasted with the chaos of the dark, seemingly enchanted woods that border the school, a place of dread that embodies the unknown. 

Within this environment, Andrew finds solace only in his writing — creating dark and twisted fairytales that reflect his internal struggles. His writing, along with Thomas’s artwork, has always served as an outlet for their shared creativity, but now, something unsettling is happening.

Thomas, a talented but troubled artist, has been drawing monsters based on Andrew’s stories, creatures that come to life with horrifying consequences.

As the monsters begin to wreak havoc, Andrew discovers that Thomas’s drawings have a dangerous life of their own. Each night, as the creatures terrorize the school, Andrew and Thomas are forced to fight back, trying to contain the chaos before it consumes them all. 

But the true horror lies not only in the monsters that haunt the woods but in the secrets Thomas is hiding — including the mysterious disappearance of his abusive parents and the bloodstain on his sleeve that no one seems willing to acknowledge.

Andrew’s attempts to understand what is happening to Thomas only push the two further apart. 

Despite their intense connection, Andrew feels a growing sense of jealousy and confusion. 

His feelings for Thomas remain unreciprocated, and the strain of their fractured friendship only heightens the tension between them. Meanwhile, the school and its students gossip about Thomas’s troubled past, with rumors swirling that he may have murdered his parents.

As the situation escalates, Andrew follows Thomas into the forbidden woods one night and witnesses the terrifying truth: the creatures are not only real, they are manifestations of Thomas’s darkest emotions and the unresolved traumas of his past. 

The boys’ bond is tested as the monsters grow stronger, feeding off the intensity of their relationship. Andrew begins to fear that the only way to end the nightmare may be to destroy the source — Thomas himself.

In a heart-wrenching and ultimately transformative journey, Andrew must confront his deepest fears, his feelings for Thomas, and the realization that the only way to stop the monsters is to face the chaos within themselves. 

The story culminates in a bittersweet exploration of love, grief, and the importance of self-acceptance, leaving Andrew to wrestle with the dark forces both inside and outside him. 

The novel’s haunting conclusion offers a sliver of hope, as Andrew takes his first steps toward understanding who he truly is and finding a place for himself in a world full of monsters — both real and imagined.

Characters

Andrew Perrault

Andrew Perrault is the complex and introspective protagonist of Don’t Let the Forest In. He is a senior at Wickwood Academy, struggling with several deeply personal challenges.

Andrew is often portrayed as an outsider at school, especially in comparison to his twin sister, Dove, who is socially adept and popular. He battles with a combination of mental health issues, including an eating disorder, self-worth struggles, and the burden of unspoken trauma.

His asexuality adds another layer of internal conflict, as he fears rejection and is uncertain about how to navigate relationships in a world that expects traditional romantic and physical dynamics. His love for Thomas, his best friend, becomes a major emotional anchor for him, even though Thomas does not fully reciprocate or understand his feelings.

Andrew’s love for writing twisted fairy tales provides a glimpse into his dark inner world, where he expresses his pain, grief, and insecurities. As the story unfolds, Andrew’s journey of self-acceptance and learning to confront his emotions mirrors his battle with the monstrous creatures from Thomas’s drawings, symbolizing his internal chaos and unresolved grief.

Andrew’s arc is both heartbreaking and hopeful, as he takes small but significant steps towards healing and understanding his true self.

Dove Perrault

Dove Perrault, Andrew’s twin sister, plays a pivotal yet somewhat mysterious role in the story. At first, she appears to be the more socially successful of the two, easily fitting in with the popular crowd and seemingly having everything together.

However, as the plot develops, Dove’s distance from Andrew becomes increasingly apparent, especially when she begins to pull away from him emotionally and rejects his attempts to connect. This change coincides with the family’s troubled dynamics, including their father’s neglect and abandonment.

Dove’s motivations are not immediately clear, and her shifting behavior creates tension between her and Andrew, making him feel more isolated than ever. Her relationship with Thomas is also strained, as they seem to have had a falling out, further complicating the dynamics between the three.

Dove’s emotional withdrawal serves as an important contrast to Andrew’s need for connection and highlights the theme of familial disconnection and the pain that arises from unaddressed issues within a family. As the story progresses, Dove’s actions and motivations become more evident, revealing her own struggles with trauma, loss, and her complicated feelings toward her brother and Thomas.

Thomas Rye

Thomas Rye is a central figure in the novel, serving as both a source of comfort and tension for Andrew. He is a rebellious and quick-witted artist, often seen as an outsider at Wickwood Academy due to his scholarship status and troubled background.

Thomas’s relationship with Andrew is fraught with emotional complexity. While the two share a deep, almost inseparable bond, their connection is tested by Andrew’s unrequited feelings and the dark circumstances surrounding Thomas’s life.

At the beginning of the novel, Thomas is distant and emotionally unavailable, which only deepens Andrew’s insecurities and fear of rejection. Thomas’s mysterious behavior—such as his attempts to hide a blood stain and his nocturnal disappearances into the woods—creates a sense of unease and raises questions about his involvement in his parents’ disappearance.

His ability to bring Andrew’s twisted stories to life through his drawings adds an element of supernatural mystery to the plot, as the monsters from his sketches begin to terrorize the school and its inhabitants. Thomas is not just a protector but also a tragic figure haunted by his past and the weight of the monsters he has unintentionally created.

His struggle to protect Andrew while keeping his own secrets highlights the emotional turmoil he faces. His eventual need to confront his past is a crucial aspect of his character arc.

The tension between Thomas’s desire to protect Andrew and his fear of their growing connection is central to the novel’s emotional depth and the evolution of their relationship.

Themes

The Destructive Power of Hidden Grief and Repressed Trauma

One of the central themes in Don’t Let the Forest In is the destructive force of grief and trauma when left unresolved. Both Andrew and Thomas are profoundly affected by their pasts, but the way they handle their pain diverges.

Andrew’s emotional neglect by his father, combined with his deep-seated fear of rejection, particularly about his asexuality, forms the foundation of his isolation. His eating disorder further compounds this emotional void, manifesting as a form of self-punishment.

Meanwhile, Thomas’s grief is tied to his abusive parents and the mystery surrounding their disappearance. His inability to process this trauma results in the manifestation of monstrous creatures, symbolic of the emotional and psychological monsters that haunt him.

The monsters that emerge from Thomas’s drawings are literal representations of the pain and chaos that they both cannot control. These creatures wreak havoc on the world around them, suggesting that unacknowledged grief can manifest in destructive ways, threatening not only the person carrying it but also those around them.

Both characters must confront and understand their trauma to break the cycle of destruction. This symbolizes the need to face and heal from one’s past to prevent it from controlling their present.

The Fragility of Identity and the Struggle for Self-Acceptance in a World of Rejection

Andrew’s journey in Don’t Let the Forest In is a poignant exploration of the fragility of identity and the intense struggle for self-acceptance, particularly in the context of his asexuality. The novel highlights how society’s conventional expectations of love and relationships are alienating for those who do not conform, as seen with Andrew’s deep fear of rejection.

His experience reflects the difficulty of embracing one’s true identity when faced with the harsh judgments of others. His asexuality, which remains hidden and misunderstood by those around him, represents a broader theme of the ways in which people who fall outside societal norms often struggle to find acceptance.

The novel challenges the idea of traditional love by emphasizing the deep bond between Andrew and Thomas, which is non-physical yet just as meaningful. Their love story, filled with longing, confusion, and frustration, underscores the emotional complexity of human relationships and the difficulty of reconciling one’s inner self with societal expectations.

As Andrew comes to terms with his feelings for Thomas and his sense of self, he learns that self-acceptance is a crucial step toward breaking free from the metaphorical forest of chaos and self-doubt that threatens to consume him.

The Relationship Between Love, Obsession, and Self-Destruction in the Context of Toxic Dependency

The complex relationship between Andrew and Thomas highlights a theme of love, obsession, and self-destruction, which develops throughout the novel as their bond grows increasingly intense. Initially, Andrew views Thomas as his protector and the only person who understands him, which fosters a deep emotional dependency.

This relationship, however, slowly morphs into an obsessive attachment, especially after Andrew’s unrequited feelings are revealed in a letter he writes. Thomas, despite sharing a deep emotional connection with Andrew, remains distant and withdrawn, which exacerbates Andrew’s fears and feelings of inadequacy.

Their connection becomes increasingly toxic, as both are unwilling to confront the tension between them, instead allowing it to fester. The monsters from Thomas’s drawings symbolize the growing emotional rift between them, as the creatures become more powerful the more they suppress their true feelings.

Their toxic dependency mirrors the broader theme of how obsession, when left unchecked, can lead to destructive consequences. The novel ultimately suggests that in order to prevent this self-destructive spiral, both Andrew and Thomas need to address their internal fears, confront their feelings for each other, and come to terms with their individual traumas.

The Dark and Chaotic Struggle Between Order and Disorder Within a Constrained Society

In Don’t Let the Forest In, the tension between order and chaos is symbolized by the stark contrast between the structured environment of Wickwood Academy and the ominous forest that looms at its edge. The school, with its rigid rules and disciplined atmosphere, represents societal expectations, control, and the façade of stability.

However, the forest, constantly encroaching upon the school, embodies the uncontrollable, irrational, and chaotic forces of nature that threaten to invade and dismantle the carefully curated world of the academy. This conflict mirrors the internal battle of the characters, particularly Andrew, who feels suffocated by societal expectations and the need to conform.

His writing, which taps into darker and more tragic emotions, represents an outlet for his resistance against the constraints of order. The creatures from the forest are physical manifestations of chaos, which become more dangerous the more the characters try to suppress their true selves.

The forest’s relentless presence emphasizes the idea that chaos is an inescapable part of the human experience, one that cannot be contained by order alone. The characters’ journey, therefore, is not just about survival but about reconciling the pull between conformity and authenticity, structure and freedom, order and disorder.

Through this struggle, the novel reveals the importance of embracing one’s inner chaos and finding balance rather than trying to completely suppress or control it.

The Complexity of Friendship, Unspoken Desires, and the Tragic Consequences of Unresolved Feelings

At the heart of the novel lies the deeply complicated friendship between Andrew and Thomas, which is marked by unspoken desires and unresolved feelings. Their friendship is initially founded on mutual understanding and shared experiences, but it evolves into something more intense and confusing as Andrew’s feelings for Thomas grow.

However, this emotional complexity is compounded by Andrew’s fear of rejection and his internal struggle with his own identity, which makes it difficult for him to express his true feelings. Thomas, in turn, struggles with his own secrets and the burden of protecting Andrew from the monsters he has inadvertently created.

Their relationship becomes strained as they fail to communicate openly, resulting in emotional distance and a growing sense of alienation. This theme emphasizes how important communication is in relationships, and how the failure to address unspoken feelings can lead to destructive consequences.

The monsters, which both literally and figuratively come to life, symbolize the dangers of ignoring emotional truths, as they manifest in the boys’ inability to confront their feelings for each other. Ultimately, their relationship is a tragic commentary on the repercussions of unresolved desires and the emotional devastation that can arise from the failure to communicate and understand one another fully.