Given the limited scope of the novel - the entire story takes place in a single day with seven characters and one setting - the hint of global catastrophe lends heft to what could have been a relatively thin plot. But in order to avert the apocalypse, drastic action must be taken. They believe that what happens in this cabin could save the world.

Instead, Tremblay’s intruders, who say they haven’t met before that day, claim to be driven by a deep altruism. These are not the droogs of A Clockwork Orange, driven by a terrifying narcissistic hedonism, or the self-centered and maniacal Annie Wilkes of Misery, who just wants a better ending to her favorite author’s latest book. The reactions of the family are believably predictable, but the motivations of the intruders are complicated and, at times, maddeningly vague. Tremblay’s strength is his ability to ratchet up the tension while consistently confounding the reader’s expectations. Landlines are cut and tires are slashed.Įven as Eric, Andrew, and Wen hastily barricade themselves in the cabin, it is not much of a spoiler to say that their refuge is far from secure.īut the clichés in this novel are limited to the set-up. All the boxes are checked to assure the readers that there is no easy escape: The closest neighbor is two miles away the road to the cabin is hardly traveled cellphone reception is nonexistent. Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World opens with this well-trod horror trope: the family terrorized by strangers during a home invasion.

Cabin at the end of the world review