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A review by inkdrinkers
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
What would you do if the fate of the world rested on your shoulders?
Wen's fathers take her to a cabin for a trip out of the city, where she can catch all the grasshoppers she wants and swim in the lake. But when a man approaches her one afternoon and says he and his friends need to speak to her and her fathers about something very important, what was supposed to be a fun vacation turns into tragedy quickly.
I picked this audio up because I ended up watching the movie adaption earlier this month and wondered how it differed from the actual novel. A lot of the story elements are the same, Wen is adopted by a gay couple and much of their personalities remain the same as the events play out with Leonard, Sabrina, Adrienne, and Redmond - until about the 70% mark. I was hanging onto a four to five star for this audio until that point where I realized, for once in my life, I think M. Night Shyamalan actually took this story and made it better.
You can disagree with me about the movie being better, but the entire premise of The Cabin At the End of The World is that the family of three is forced to make a decision that will impact the lives of the world at large. Through a series of frantic missteps, the story begins to devolve around the 70% mark and while it was realistic, I feel like the author wrote himself into a corner... when in reality he could have taken the route the movie did and had a much more satisfying ending. I left the book wondering why I read it. I finished the movie feeling hopeful. Those are two very different impacts left from the same base story and I can't help but think the movie handled the delicate nature of the plot far better than it's source material.
I really loved Wen in the book. I loved how the narration rack-focused back and forth between characters in the same moment to give insight to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, while still remaining in third person perspective. My only issue was I really disliked the narrator, I don't think she sold the story to me as well as it could have been, and I actually would have enjoyed the narrator be younger, or completely detached. I disliked the narration so much I ended up listening on 2.5 speed just to get through it.
This was a hard audiobook to rate - loved the concept, story, and the way the elements played out, but I also really disliked the final quarter of the book and how Tremblay chose to end it. Go watch the movie, it's actually a better experience and the actors chosen absolutely body the roles and breathe more life into them than what was on page.
Content warnings: death (multiple on page), grief (heavily discussed), homophobia (both past and present), gore (some of the descriptions turned even my iron stomach tbh)
Wen's fathers take her to a cabin for a trip out of the city, where she can catch all the grasshoppers she wants and swim in the lake. But when a man approaches her one afternoon and says he and his friends need to speak to her and her fathers about something very important, what was supposed to be a fun vacation turns into tragedy quickly.
I picked this audio up because I ended up watching the movie adaption earlier this month and wondered how it differed from the actual novel. A lot of the story elements are the same, Wen is adopted by a gay couple and much of their personalities remain the same as the events play out with Leonard, Sabrina, Adrienne, and Redmond - until about the 70% mark. I was hanging onto a four to five star for this audio until that point where I realized, for once in my life, I think M. Night Shyamalan actually took this story and made it better.
You can disagree with me about the movie being better, but the entire premise of The Cabin At the End of The World is that the family of three is forced to make a decision that will impact the lives of the world at large. Through a series of frantic missteps, the story begins to devolve around the 70% mark and while it was realistic, I feel like the author wrote himself into a corner... when in reality he could have taken the route the movie did and had a much more satisfying ending. I left the book wondering why I read it. I finished the movie feeling hopeful. Those are two very different impacts left from the same base story and I can't help but think the movie handled the delicate nature of the plot far better than it's source material.
I really loved Wen in the book. I loved how the narration rack-focused back and forth between characters in the same moment to give insight to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, while still remaining in third person perspective. My only issue was I really disliked the narrator, I don't think she sold the story to me as well as it could have been, and I actually would have enjoyed the narrator be younger, or completely detached. I disliked the narration so much I ended up listening on 2.5 speed just to get through it.
This was a hard audiobook to rate - loved the concept, story, and the way the elements played out, but I also really disliked the final quarter of the book and how Tremblay chose to end it. Go watch the movie, it's actually a better experience and the actors chosen absolutely body the roles and breathe more life into them than what was on page.
Content warnings: death (multiple on page), grief (heavily discussed), homophobia (both past and present), gore (some of the descriptions turned even my iron stomach tbh)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief