A Review of THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD, by Paul Tremblay

I was graced with an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, and so grateful I was. I loved this book, and spoiler free demands require some essential elements to be left out. Some things are easy to scream out loud and proud about, however, and that is Paul Tremblay is a fantastic writer. He writes about families so well, in all three of his novels I've read, it is the family dynamics, where we figure out who we are and how and who we love. In the case of Cabin, it is a same sex couple who has adopted a child from China. He portrays them so well, and I find that the nature of this family: same sex couple raising a daughter of a different race is already starting on precarious footing, and these circumstance demand a special kind of love and strong dedication to stay together. Especially when the world crashes in to their secluded cabin home, and this becomes a home invasion story, where the intruders have this cold sense of politeness, a unique set of weapons, and you find yourself trapped inside with them.

A taut suspense story beings.

I can't help but read this in context of his previous two works where Tremblay teases the reader, leaving clues, making head fakes, popcorn trails and easter eggs, all to make us wonder if a supernatural force is indeed present, begging us to decide if indeed a paranormal force is having an influence or if it is just the flaws of humanity at play. Same way his characters must decide. In this way, we are all a character.

After reading this, or while reading this in my case, you'll pay attention to natural disasters, (volcano eruptions in Hawaii, for example) and wonder if you should take a garden tool to someone's head to save lives or not. Thats the beauty to this: it plays out in a tiny secluded cabin, but has cosmic implications, including the existence of God, and if a loving God would indeed demand a sacrifice. Can we, or should we, maintain faith in a cause that may not be as noble as we first believed?

There are tiny little nuggets in this book you'll need to pay attention to (count the grasshoppers, count the people, count the letters, and the 4 folks bringing in the apocalypse are only missing their horses. There's even a little self-deprecating humor about Tremblay's previous book).

Cabin is a 'Book Club' kind of book, the kind you want to talk about with others when you are finished. In fact, if you are reading this, message me, since I want to talk to you about it, but only when you're done reading.