“A tremendous book―thought-provoking and terrifying, with tension that winds up like a chain. The Cabin at the End of the World is Tremblay’s personal best. It’s that good.” — Stephen KingThe Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts adds an inventive twist to the home invasion horror story in a heart-palpitating novel of psychological suspense that recalls Stephen King’s Misery… the home invasion horror story in a heart-palpitating novel of psychological suspense that recalls Stephen King’s Misery, Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood, and Jack Ketchum’s cult hit The Girl Next Door.
Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.
One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault”. Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”
Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.
“Read Paul Tremblay’s new novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, and you might not sleep for a week. Longer. It will shape your nightmares for months – that’s pretty much guaranteed.” — NPR
“Gripping, horrifying, and mesmerizing.” — GQ
“A tour-de-force of psychological and religious horror.” — BN.com
“A blinding tale of survival and sacrifice.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Tremblay has a real winner here.” — Tor.com
more
Do you have to choose a side? Tremblay helps you to feel each character’s angst.
Paul manages to create books that keep you turning pages at a pace that seems almost inhuman. He sucks you in so fast, before you know it, you’re buried nose-deep in his worlds. He is also the master of the ambiguous ending. This one is horrifying, but also makes you think. You care about each character, and the dread just keeps on growing.
I read this book to the end. That normally is a sign of a book worth reading. Regrettably, this book has zero resolution. The reader is left to their own imagination. It was a lazy way to end a book. Perhaps it’s a cheap attempt to have readers of book 1 buy a book 2 but I feel cheated and won’t buy another book by this author.
Great read. New take on a very old story. Curl up on the couch, lock your doors and dig in to this book. I read it in 2 days.
This book really got my attention and I couldn’t put it down. However, I was extremely disappointed with the ending. Maybe it’s just me, but it made no sense. All the way through, I was planning on choosing it for our book club, but when I got to the end, I just can’t. I read the authors notes trying to figure out what in the heck was happened. Didn’t help. I was left hanging.
I thought the book was slow, dull and did not like the main characters.
Terrible novel, the kind you yell at while reading (listening) because the characters make stupid choices over and over. The big mystery is never explained or resolved so there’s no payoff for suffering through the rest of the book.
Tremblay has written a story of home invasion with a terrifying twist. When four people break into the cabin of Eric, Andrew and their daughter Wen, with a warped idea of an upcoming apocalypse, everything becomes horrific. It was an interesting and gripping story. I do wish the ending had been as strong.
Easily one on the finest horror novels of the decade. I enjoyed Head Full Of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, but in Cabin, his writing blew my mind.
It’s captivating enough of a story to read it all in one sitting, but I wanted to savor it like a fine wine. I found myself rereading certain lines and paragraphs because of the sheer beauty of description.
It equally made me want to be a better writer, and put down the pen for fear I’ll never even scrape the surface of such thought-provoking horror.
Tremblay puts ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and the result is pure magic.
Definitely one of the most unique home invasion tales I’ve read, Cabin takes us through religious, apocalyptic, and even touches on political factors all the while lovingly introduces us to a ‘modern’ American family (which unfortunately, people won’t admit- but I think this is something they shamefully had problems with).
The tension is palpable, the choice before this family impossible, all leading up to an ending that begs the reader to think for themselves.
If you want a story wrapped up tidily in a neat little bow, this isn’t the book for you. If you want to be thinking about a book and it’s ending for days afterward, and like thinking for yourself, please read this.
In the end, it’s a tale of love, sacrifice and perseverance in the face the of impossible
I enjoyed it very much. It reminds me of Twilight Zone, only in book form..
After reading this ” masterpiece” I couldn’t return to novels for a while because I had to clear the rotten taste of this irritating book from my mind
Really strange…and not in a good way! This was one of those books that reviewers seemed to love or hate. The description grabbed my attention by mentioning Stephen King’s Misery…no comparison!! It started ok. Then it began dragging on and on…and it’s not a long book.
It felt like some adolescent boys had a sleepover, got into their parent’s liquor cabinet and started brainstorming. They threw most of it together while they were drunk. Maybe there was more than liquor in there, because I never figured out the significance of the grasshoppers?? I think they might have thrown in some finishing touches while they were hungover and they forgot where they were headed. Nothing made much sense, and they were sidetracked easily.
This was an audiobook me and my husband listened to, and we both agreed that it was bizarre. Sad to say, this was my first book by this author and it will be most likely be my last.
It received some great reviews. Did I miss something? Maybe it was way over my head…or it goes better with alcohol! I don’t recommend it.
My Rating: 2 ’s
Published: June 26th 2018 by HarperAudio
Recommend: No.
Not a novel I would recommend. CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD wasn’t very good. Forgettable characters. POV switches constantly. The story might have worked as a short story rather than a full-length novel. Unanswered questions. One revelation toward the end didn’t make any sense, and it wasn’t explained or resolved. The end of the novel wasn’t a climatic thrill or a let-down. It pretty much didn’t have an end at all.
“…in this darkest hour of the darkest day, they remain alone, fundamentally alone.”
In Paul Tremblay’s apocalypse inspired thriller, a tough choice must be made or the world will end. To save all mankind, would you sacrifice the one you love the most?
Really enjoyed and would recommend!
This book is the combination of my two worst fears: 1) a situation like the movie, “The Strangers” 2) the end of the world. I really liked this book–so disturbing and a definite page-turner. The ending was so unsatisfying though!!!!!!
The book captivated me from the beginning to the end …the ending was magnificent, I truly did not see it coming!!
Whoa…Trembly does it once more. A superb story teller.
This read is gripping, grueling , and sometimes grisly.
You have to jump in to see what Im saying. From first page to last…simply enthralling.
Paul Tremblay does it again! He’s a master at balancing on the sharp, deadly edge of reality and delusion, forcing the reader to decide what’s actually real and what’s not. The ending of this book left–leaves–me speechless. I haven’t felt so many conflicting emotions since A Head Full of Ghosts.