Seven-year-old Wen is vacationing with her parents Eric and Andrew in New Hampshire, specifically in a remote lakeside cabin that’s miles from anywhere and anyone. Or so they think; as Wen is playing in the front yard, a stranger appears and introduces himself as Leonard. Yet, he seems far from antagonistic – young and friendly, he even apologises for what is yet to unfold, explaining that none of what is about to happen is Wen’s fault. As three more strangers arrive, Leonard explains that Wen and her family must make a terrible choice, one that could determine the fate of the world.
If you’ve read a Paul Tremblay novel before, you’ll know to expect sublime characterisation, deft twists and tense plot that combine to create a book that’s impossible to put down. This one’s different, because there are moments where you may have to turn away just to get your breath back. Tremblay offers varying points of view as the three holidaymakers are subjected to a quasi-religious mania that sees them fighting for survival, his writing making each page taut with terror and a need to know what’s going to happen next. It’s often disturbing – certainly not for the faint-hearted in its occasional gory moments – a close to uncomfortable read that raises the stakes and the tension as the plot unfolds. The author’s ability to get into the heads of antagonists as well as protagonists is first class and, while we don’t cheer them on, it’s clear that they believe what they’re doing is right, which makes the book all the more unsettling.
Tremblay’s previous books A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock were stunning examples of the horror genre at work; this one is a compelling masterclass in terror, the unease growing right from the start and continuing past the final page to linger long after the book has been read. The author has taken the cabin in the woods trope and adapted it for his own ends, creating a story that is unique and emotional enough to have readers raising a laugh or shedding a tear. This is his finest work yet – which is saying much considering what has gone before – one that places characters into situations that show their love for each other and reveal the sacrifices they’re willing to make for that bond to endure.
THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD / AUTHOR: PAUL TREMBLAY / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
