A review by readthesparrow
The Girls In The Cabin by Caleb Stephens

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to Caleb Stephens and Joffe Books for providing a review copy! I was also sent an advance copy of Stephen’s upcoming book Feeders, which I’m very much looking forward to reading, as well as a copy of his short story collection.

REVIEW
I didn’t want to put The Girls in the Cabin down. 

I read it through the previews of a movie (I was the only one in the theater, don’t judge me), during dinner (studiously ignoring Master Chef in the background–which was a big sacrifice, considering the show is basically Alton Brown’s personal take on the Saw franchise), and snatching bits and pieces wherever else I could.

It’s not because the twists were necessarily surprising–I called the main reveal almost immediately–but because I wanted to know how it was going to happen. How far would Chris, Kayla, and Emma stretch before they broke? How far would Clara, Sydney, and Billy be willing to go?

Stephens does not hang back on the psychological or physical torture. There’s an eye scene near the end of the book that was so tense I was holding my breath.

I loved how tense this book is. The pacing is pulled taunt, with stakes that grow tighter and tighter. The prose snaps across the page.

It’s not the ideas, but rather the execution that Stephens does really well. I was a chronic watcher of Criminal Minds in high school, and the situation in this book felt a bit like something that might happen in that show (sans, of course, the BAU–Chris and his daughters have to get themselves out of this mess). 

I will say that there are some reservations I have about The Girls in the Cabin, discussed below. Beware of spoilers!!!!

Spoiler So. Okay.
The main plot twist in The Girls in the Cabin uses the Split Personality trope. Clara’s alternate personality, Sydney, formed due to severe childhood physical and sexual abuse. While not diagnosed as DID by a medical professional, Chris speculates it to be DID.
The trope is played pretty straight–The Girls in the Cabin is not a case where the trope is being critically examined or challenged.
Split Personality is a trope I really do not like in psychological thrillers for two reasons: its effect on the perception of DID and my personal opinions on the trope.
Broadly speaking, the use of the trope (especially in psychological horror) demonizes those with DID. Ever since the trope became popular due to movies like Psycho, it’s been part of the way that folks with DID are ostracized. The trope paints those with DID as violent. Because the Split Personality villain (again, see Psycho, or, more recently, Split) is one of the few ways people are first exposed to the concept, they then internalize that people with DID are inherently dangerous. Quite frankly, people with DID already have enough on their plate; they don't need this too.
To use a less human example to illustrate my point, I dislike the Killer Animal trope for the same reason: it spreads misinformation, and misinformation has a very real world impact (for example, see Jaws’ impact on real world shark populations).
Clara, the character with an alternate personality, does get point of view chapters that take pains to develop sympathy for her as her own character. In fact, the novel begins with her point of view, and returns to it throughout. The abuse and pain she went through are not merely used as a backstory, but are a central focus throughout the novel.
However, The Girls in the Cabin is a story about someone with DID kidnapping and torturing a family, both psychologically and physically. To that extent, even though Clara’s character has her own point of view that develops her as a sympathetic character, this is still an example of the Split Personality trope demonizing those with DID.
Is Clara/Sydney the most harmful example of the trope out there? No, probably not. But it still is what it is.
Additionally, even if we put aside the harmful elements of the trope, it’s my opinion that, in general, the DID/Split Personality twist is played out in psychological horror. Personally, I rarely find it interesting.
In terms of The Girls in the Cabin, the Split Personality twist was pretty obvious to me well before the reveal. Now, if it hadn’t been a Split Personality deal and Sydney was her own seperate character, that would have been a twist I didn’t see coming.

Am I saying that the trope needs to be banished forever from psychological horror? No, of course not. I don't want to dictate what people write about, what they choose to explore in their psychological horror, nor how they feel about certain tropes.

What I am saying is that it's a trope I personally dislike and don't find interesting (or psychologically horrifying, thrilling, etc) to the point where the trope's presence will almost certainly impact my enjoyment of any media that uses it.

I probably would have rated this book a four star read if that trope wasn't used, because I thoroughly enjoyed everything else about The Girls in the Cabin (the snappy prose, the tension, the quick pacing, the crushing sense of isolation and desperation).

FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a fast, tense read, which–besides my opinion regarding the previously discussed trope–I found to be snappily (and thrillingly!) written.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller and don’t have the same hang-ups I do about the use of that trope, then I’d definitely suggest picking this one up, especially if you’re a fan of Criminal Minds.
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