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Title: Grim and engrossing
Review: Readers will either buy the premise of "The Ruins" or find it absurd. If you're in the first camp, you're in for a long, increasingly disturbing ride. I mean that in a good way. The plot has been rehashed plenty, but to me, the most interesting part of this book is its exploration of specific personality types and how they react in intense situations. While the action is troubling enough, it's especially jarring to recognize yourself - as I did - among the characters Scott Smith assembled. "The Ruins," much like the movie "Open Water," forces you to think about what you would do if you were stranded with nothing but company and diminishing hope. It's not a pleasant exercise, but certainly an intriguing one.
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