The Cabin at the End of the World; Paul Tremblay

TITLE: The Cabin at the End of the World

AUTHOR: Paul Tremblay

PUBLISHER: William Morrow

PUB. YEAR: 2018

SETTING: New Hampshire
FORMAT:  - Library

RATING: 3.5/5 stars

Andrew, Eric and their 7 year old daughter Wen are vacationing at a remote New Hampshire cabin near the Canadian border.  Hoping for a peaceful vacation away from it all, there isn't even any cell service or internet.  As the two dads relax on the back deck, Wen, their curious, daughter, who the couple adopted from China, is busy collecting grasshoppers and naming them in the tall grasses in front of the house.  Suddenly, a big man, with a friendly face appears. He tells Wen his name is Leonard and begins helping her catch grasshoppers. Wen knows about stranger danger, but Leonard is so kind and helpful but, yes, he has another agenda. Soon Leonard 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."

All the above happens within the first 20+pages of this gripping, at times heart-pounding, novel.  The remote setting, a home invasion, and what follows had me quickly turning pages, even though it became clear, early on this was a book that was making me uncomfortable and, yes,  there are aspects of the story that were quite disturbing, I had to see how the story played out.  Can't say I'm sorry I tried this one but overall, I did have my issues with this one.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Cabin at the End of the World; Paul Trembley

Each Tuesday, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be At The Beach hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where  readers post the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book that they are reading or plan to read. 

The Cabin at the End of the World; Paul Trembley

William Morrow/Harper Collins - 2018

Come and See

One - Wen

"The girl with the dark hair walks down the wooden front stairs and lowers herself into the yellowing lagoon of ankle-high grass. A warm breeze ripples through the blades, leaves, and crab-like petals of clover flowers.  She studies the front yard, watching for the twitchy, mechanical motion and frantic jumps of grasshoppers.  The glass jar cradled against her chest smells faintly of grape jelly and is sticky on the inside. She unscrews the aerated lid."

I admit this intro was pretty boring to me but, it isn't long before I felt terrified as I read. I'm about (1/3 through this one for the RIP 13 Challenge and enjoying it thus far).

R.I.P. 13 Challenge begins September 1st

I've participated in the Readers Imbibing Peril Challenge every fall for the last 10 years. It's fun putting together a fall list of thrillers or mysteries just for this challenge. It was started by Carl V. Anderson @ Stainless Steel Droppings and he hosted it for many years. Then Estella’s Revenge took over as hosts. This year, Kristen @ We Be Reading, is hosting it, and it’s a very special year for this challenge: Number 13!   

The purpose of the event is to read books that fall into any of the RIP categories:

Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Supernatural.

And the main goals are to HAVE FUN, and to share that fun with others. Pretty simple.  

I am choosing PERIL THE FIRST -  read four books of any length during the challenge time period. Here is a possible list of the 4-5 books that I am considering for this challenge which begins September 1 and continues through October 31st.

To find out about the various Peril levels, and to sign up, visit the challenge announcement page HERE. 

My Picks

In case you want to read a little bit more about my choices, here are some links below:

1. Bring Me Back; B.A. Paris (completed - 3.5/5)
2. The Cabin at the End of the World; Paul Tremblay (completed 3.5/5)
3. The Perfect Mother; Aimee Molloy (DNF)
4. Something in the Water; Catherine Steadman (completed 4.5/5)
5. Baby Teeth; Zoje Stage  (completed 4/5)