Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Apocalyptic
Publication date: June 26, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Amy Landon
Publisher: Harper Collins
Book Description: 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."
Thoughts:
I watched the movie Knock at the Cabin which is based on this book first and now I think I have mixed them both up in my mind. I watched the movie a few days prior to reading this book. My logic was, hey I already read the book so let's go.
You can find the movie trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXM5wX0iRJM
I initially categorized this as a reread. But I didn't really remember much from my initial read, so while watching the movie I got a few glimpses and some things felt like a vague 'Oh yeah I knew this was going to happen' but I didn't anticipate it, I just reacted after I saw it unfold.
This story is hard to pitch. We have a confusing setup. Wen and her two fathers, Eric and Andrew, decide to spend a weekend in a cabin in the woods to double as a family getaway from the busy city life and celebrate a pre-party for Wen's birthday. It feels like a very classic setup for a horror movie. What I'm saying is- the plot is not unique, it has been done so much it can be considered a very traditional scenario both in movies and books. And we have the cast of characters: the happily vacationing family at the center of the situation Eric and Andrew and their seven-year-old daughter Wen, whom they adopted from China as a baby, and they are as loving and enviable a family as you could possibly want if you were looking to illustrate the “terrible things happening to good people” angle. And last, we have the four crazy individuals who jump them.
Overall, the cast of characters is rather small especially if you are like me and usually read fantasy books with dozens of characters introduced in each book.
The first few scenes when Eric and Andrew are on the back porch chilling; seemed like a very good portrayal of a long-term relationship. One laid back and the other the overly fussy parent. Then things start to happen, and you are hooked. The people who arrive so calm and collected, first Leonard engages Wen. Her reaction is so normal, children always get told, 'do NOT talk to strangers' but they really don't understand stranger danger.
Leonard makes small talk and gets her to talk about his likes and about her fathers. As the conversation progressed and Leonard made comments she didn't understand, the alarm bells went off. I usually do not like children in my stories, they annoy the hell out of me. But Wen felt like such a well-rounded character. She’s written to be appealing and smart and occasionally bossy, as seven-year-old girls are, and seeing her struggle to process what is even going on and how to react contributes some excellent drama.
The four very allegoric horsemen of the bible are here with a mission. The people in this cabin need to willingly sacrifice one of their numbers in order to avoid the end of the world. The Horsemen saw visions, they were guided to this specific cabin and had to deliver the message. They are very committed to their story.
Andrew and Eric are horrified, not only by the attack. They broke into their home and tied them up so they could give the message. But by what they are being asked to do.
In both the movie and the book- we spend the majority of the time in the back and forth. These characters spend a good amount of pages arguing endlessly around a "You must do this!" "No, we will never do that!"
The whole point of it is to be on the edge, as the reader you do not know which side is correct. are the Four Horsemen crazy or are they really stopping the apocalypse?
The biggest difference is the ending.
Slight spoiler *****
For both of them, you never know for certain. But in the movie, you get a few more clues on what happens after so you are almost convinced that the sacrifice did have a positive impact on the whole world. And there is only one death in the family. In the book, you have absolutely no idea, the death and sacrifice just leave a lonely broken survivor and that's it. No further text shows if the world went back to normal or if it was a hoax all along. I understand that's the whole point, but still, it annoys me a bit.
End of spoilers****
This is a hard book to recommend, you will either like it or it will fall flat. I'm middle of the fence on how the ending worked for me. It'll just be up to the personal preference of the reader, which you'll understand once you reach the end of this one yourself and have a chance to decide. This was a gripping read that was entertaining and perfect to pick up when you have a chance to read it all in one sitting.
I gave this
I feel less inclined towards the four and might just lower it to a 3.5. After a few days, it feels like more of an okay book. But it goes to show that at least while you are reading it's an entertaining one.
This was used for the following challenges:
ReRead
Read adaptations and compare them
Comments