A Book A Week

Every once in a while, a novel comes along that surpasses your expectations and defies explanation. Such is the case with Paul Tremblay's latest book The Cabin at the End of the World. I really enjoyed A Head Full of Ghosts when I read it last year, but this novel sees Tremblay take his storytelling to new heights. Even the master of horror himself, Stephen King has called the book "Terrifying". If you manage to scare Stephen King, you've got to be doing something right!

To provide a full summary of this story would be a disservice to anyone planning to read it. Like most great horror, the books hinges upon a pretty simple setup. It starts innocently enough. Young Wen and her fathers plan to celebrate some family time at a cabin in the woods, away from distractions and the rest of the world. Little do they know that the rest of the world will soon be invading their little getaway.

As husbands Andrew and Eric enjoy some quiet time on the back deck of the cabin, their adopted daughter Wen is capturing grasshoppers in the front yard. She carefully catalogs each of her finds, giving each insect a name. Wen is surprised to look up and see a lone man walking down the road to the cabin. She doesn't remember seeing any other houses on the drive into the woods, so she's not really sure where he could be coming from. First, she thinks about alerting her dads to this strange figure but then thinks better of it. She doesn't want to disturb their relaxing vacation.

The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterfully relentless novel of horror and suspense. Tremblay lures the reader in with an ever-growing sense of dread and terror. At times, I was so horrified by what I was reading, I had to pause. Despite my fear, I couldn't stay away for too long. I had to see this story through. Tremblay smartly presents the events as they unfold with little suggestion as to why these things are happening or how they came to be. This only adds to the suspense.

Beyond being a solid thriller, The Cabin at the End of the World features well-drawn characters that helped keep me thoroughly invested into the story, even when I didn't understand everything that was happening. Tremblay writes of a gay couple who are refreshingly normal. They face universal challenges with parenting, religion, and trauma that all readers will be able to relate to. Frankly, in 2018 it is surprising that there aren't more diverse characters in the genre. Hopefully, the success of Tremblay's novel will help fuel a shift in representation within horror and thrillers. Through a mix of old-school horror, believable characters, and non-stop suspense, Paul Tremblay's The Cabin at the End of the World ends up being a remarkably effective thriller that makes for the perfect summer read.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2018, 27)