What Lies in the Woods

After Naomi is violently attacked and stabbed repeatedly, she is left with scars all over her body and face. These scars symbolize the impossibility of repressing the past. At the start of the novel, Naomi has worked hard to distance herself from her past; she has moved away from her hometown, changed her last name, and established an independent life. However, her emotional bonds with Liv and Cass mean that she readily returns when Liv needs her. Naomi also finds herself engaging in irrational actions, such as returning to the woods alone at night, picking up Liv’s investigation, and refusing to disclose information to the police. All of these behaviors show that Naomi is still deeply impacted by events from her past and even controlled by this past trauma. Throughout her life, Naomi has also acted in direct response to the traumatic events of her adolescence; for example, she pursued an unhealthy relationship with Oscar because she believed that she deserved to suffer. The scars that mark Naomi’s body show that her skin and tissues could partially heal but would never be the same as they were before: They are the mark of Maturity and the Loss of Innocence.