The House in the Pines

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of drug/alcohol addiction and medical mistreatment/malpractice.

The House in the Pines opens with a dreamlike description of a house in the woods, a house easy to miss if one isn’t looking. To most, this house may just look like abandoned ruins of a cabin. However, if one looks closely, one can see these ruins transform and come to life. The description invites readers to explore the house in their imagination, from the blazing fireplace with billowing smoke to the sounds of food sizzling in the kitchen. However, the narrator warns us that the house may just be an illusion: “Get a good night’s sleep, because when you wake, this house will be gone” (2).

It’s the middle of the night and 25-year-old Maya is struggling to sleep, a symptom of Klonopin withdrawal. Seven years ago, Maya’s psychiatrist prescribed Klonopin—a sedative used to treat anxiety and panic disorders—for sleep issues, without informing her that Klonopin is addictive. Maya had been buying Klonopin from her friend Wendy after aging out of her health insurance coverage. However, Maya recently lost contact with Wendy and was forced to abruptly stop taking Klonopin. Withdrawal symptoms include “Insomnia, anxiety, tremors, muscle spasms, paranoia, agitation [and] the possibility of hallucinations” (6).